8 of the world's coolest telescopes that are changing the way that we look at the universe

Astronomy has come a long way over the past few millennia.

We went from believing that Earth was the center of a star speckled universe, to being able to observe a seemingly endless number of galaxies full of trillions of stars and planets that stretch back in time billions of years.

And as astronomy evolves, so do the instruments we use to peer deeper and deeper into the cosmos.

Since the invention of the first telescope in the 1600s, we have developed much more impressive and advanced telescopes to look at the universe.

Here are a few of the most powerful telescopes operating right now.