Abstract
It is not well known that, aside from inventing the first practical reflecting telescope, Newton produced many other telescope and optics innovations that were later ascribed to others. Newton may have been the first to use pitch for a polishing lap, the first to focus by moving the primary mirror, the first to use a meniscus lens to correct spherical aberration in a spherical primary mirror, the first to use metal-on-glass reflective coating for the primary mirror, first use of total internal reflection for a right angle prism in a telescope (secondary for a Newtonian reflector), the first to invent the process for super-polishing (later important for coronagraphs & lasers). Newton was the first to propose mountain-top observatory telescopes with due regard to obtaining the clearest of skies (best transparency), as well as the largest isoplanatic patch (best seeing). These developments, and others, and their impact on modern telescope technology, will be presented, with references.