The Galileoscope: An IYA2009 Cornerstone Project

In today's age, a decent telescope costs well over $150, a number that's too high for the average worker to splurge since it is not a necessity. Thankfully, 2009 is the International Year of Astronomy, celebrating 400 years since Galileo Galilei made the first astronomical observation with his telescope. Also in 1609, Johannes Kepler published his work Astronomia nova in which he outlined the fundamental laws of planetary motions. In honor of Galileo, the low-cost Galileoscope was manufactured by top astronomers and volunteers so people all over the world could have fiscal access to a decent telescope.

The telescope has a 50-mm or 2 inch diameter and a 25 to 50 power achromatic refractor, basically the same telescope Galileo had back in the day (hence the product's name). Objects visible through the telescope include: the entire surface of the moon with craters and mares, Jupiter's largest moons, Saturn's rings, many constellations and binary star systems, and even some galaxies on very clear nights. The price listed on the Galileoscope website is $15 per telescope under 100 units, but the price gets discounted when buying in mass over 100 telescopes to $12.50.

The main aim of the Galileoscope project is to bring astronomy to Third World countries and allow people to have close, educational encounters with the science of the universe. The refracting telescope has a lens with a focal length of 500mm, an eyepiece with a focal length of 20mm and a magnification of 25, and a 2x Barlow lens with a magnification of 50. It does not come with a tripod, but easily attaches to one that can be purchased separately.

Since the Galileoscope project is all based on volunteer work to have the telescope so affordable, the production rate is rather sluggish since it began in February 2009. Their phone lines are always busy and the influx of e-mails is too much for them to handle, so they cannot respond right away. According to the website, the first batch of 60,000 Galileoscopes have been produced and have begun being shipped out and will reach customers during the months of June and July. The project ships internationally, so anyone in the world can order a Galileoscope.

Many schools all over the world have ordered Galilescopes in mass amounts for their science departments so students can have hands-on experiences with viewing the universe. It is a great idea to have in the classroom as it comes with lessons on optics and refraction as well as how to properly observe the universe.