Perhaps one of the oldest sciences, we have records of people studying astronomy as far back as Ancient Mesopotamia. Later civilizations such as the Greeks, Romans, and Mayans also studied astronomy. However, all of these early scientists had to observe space with just their eyes. There was only so much they could see. With the invention of the telescope in the early 1600s, scientists were able to see much further objects as well as get a better view of closer objects like the moon and the planets.