Telescope conference marks 400th anniversary of telescope patent -The first telescope patent filed in September 1608 paved the way for the development of modern astronomical telescope technology, a fact that will be the central focus of a conference beginning Sept. 29th in Noordwijk, The Netherlands. The conference, titled "400 Years of Astronomical Telescopes ? A Review of History, Science and Technology," will take place at the European Space Agency/ European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) from Sept. 29 to Oct. 2.