At this time there were six known planets and six known moons, and for a short time Huygens believed that, since this was such a convenient arrangement, no other heavenly bodies would be discovered.
In 1656 Huygens incorporated his lenses into telescopes of extreme length--some up to 23 feet (7 m)--whose long focal length allowed for even greater magnification. Using telescopes of such design Huygens was able to chart the surface features of the planet Mars, as well as discover the Great Orion nebula (a multi-colored cloud of hot gas in the constellation Orion).
In that same year, Huygens discovered the truth about the "triple" planet Saturn--so named because it appeared in conventional telescopes to possess two smaller planets to either side. Using his vastly superior telescope Huygens found that Saturn was encircled within a thin ring. Huygens reported his discovery in a secret code, protecting it from other scientists while he continued his observations of Saturn.
To facilitate these observations, Huygens designed several new pieces of astronomical equipment. Chief among these were his lenses, which provided far greater resolution and magnification than any before. After several years he perfected an achromatic lens that corrected the "false color" fringes often associated with inferior lens systems; this lens, called the Huygenian eyepiece, is still used in many telescopes today.
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