The Galileoscope is now open for purchase [Archive] - Bad Astronomy and Universe Today Forum

RickJ

22-February-2009, 07:41 PM

I think it a good idea. Kids can learn a lot about optics putting it together. I had something similar as a kid but it wasn't achromatic and cost more than $15 even 60 years ago! It got me started.

This is meant as a scope for those who can't afford anything equivalent store bought and for class room use teaching basic optics. Depending on your tripod it can make a rather usable scope. Certainly better than many I've seen for twice the cost at Kmart and Target. The Astronomical Union isn't doing this to make money but to further interest in astronomy in those who couldn't afford to get started otherwise.

I look forward to Rommel's report on it when it gets in.

Rick

NickW

22-February-2009, 08:15 PM

Ok, my mistake.

I didnt consider it that way, Rick.

My apologies.

rommel543

25-February-2009, 03:19 PM

RickJ is right, it's not something that I personally would use (I have a 12" Dob), it's designed for kids and getting them involved in astronomy. It is being released to celebrate the International Year of Astronomy. I have 3 kids, two of which will go nuts over the telescope.

No matter where you live, with this easy-to-assemble, 50-mm (2-inch) diameter, 25- to 50-power achromatic refractor, you can see the celestial wonders that Galileo Galilei first glimpsed 400 years ago and that still delight stargazers today
...

To enable more people in more places to personally experience the wonders of the universe, we've developed a remarkably inexpensive, very-high-quality, easy-to-use refractor

They're being shipped in April and I'll put a review on here about it.

hhEb09'1

25-February-2009, 03:34 PM

The order page also has a donation option, where you can pay $12.50 to include a scope in their donor program.

rommel543

25-February-2009, 07:53 PM

If I had the money I would buy a bunch for my kids school. They're really into the sciences and technology and I think that it would be great for the kids to be able to go out on a field trip one night.

Swift

25-February-2009, 08:41 PM

I'm not a hard core telescope user (I have too many expensive hobbies as it is ;) ), but I think that's pretty cool. I think I'll order one. Thanks rommel543 for the link.

Hale_Bopp

05-March-2009, 05:22 AM

I have been involved in the development of the Galileoscope and used the prototypes. I think you will be impressed with the image quality you can get for the price. The telescope has a standard camera tripod bolt included so it can be mounted and, if you have other eyepeices, accepts 1.25" eyepieces.

Another neat feature is the included diverging lens. You can use it as a 2x barlow or as the eyepiece to make a true Galilean telescope so you can see what a lousy design he had to deal with!

rommel543

18-March-2009, 05:05 PM

They're shipping next month so I'm hoping we have it by May so I can take the kids out before it gets too dusty in the summer.

KaiYeves

18-March-2009, 10:39 PM

I'm actually going to Florence next year. It'd be nice to take one along.

Swift

18-March-2009, 10:45 PM

I'm actually going to Florence next year. It'd be nice to take one along.
KaiYeves,
My wife and I went there last year - it is a wonderful city. If you have the chance you should try to visit the Museum of the History of Science (http://www.imss.fi.it/). Its a little museum, but they actually have a couple of Galileo's telescopes on display. Last year they had a very nice exhibit explaining how they worked.

KaiYeves

18-March-2009, 11:22 PM

I hope it's on our tour itinerary!

Tobin Dax

19-March-2009, 09:10 AM

I'm in the process of getting a dozen or so Galileoscopes ordered for classroom use. I think that these will be great for introductory astronomy and lower-level physics classes, especially since they can be taken apart and reassembled again later. With a variety of uses most classes that I teach, I couldn't pass these up. Most of these students wouldn't qualify as "kids," but I also hope to use the Galileoscopes with kids and members of the community on a regular basis.

I will have to test one out, of course, so I'll give you all a review once I do.

Siguy

31-March-2009, 02:23 AM

I just found another IYA2009 telescope, this adorable little Celestron Dob (http://www.celestron.com/c3/product.php?CatID=92&ProdID=568). This whole affordable astronomy for the masses idea is really interesting.
Hmm... I don't really see the point personally. It isn't a replica, yet it isn't really a full telescope. It's cheap, but it doesn't look very user friendly.
I take back that comment. I now in fact really like the idea of the Galileoscope.

rommel543

31-March-2009, 06:56 PM

ctcoker

05-April-2009, 04:58 AM

The only concern I would have with the Celestron FirstScope is if it needs collimating. I went through the specs and details, but it doesn't mention anything regarding it. Zooming in on the image doesn't look like it has collimating screws, so I would think that it doesn't need the adjusting. More than likely with the small size it's not a concern.
Unless I miss my guess, those three screws on the back of the secondary are collimation screws. Also considering that it looks to be about f/3 or so, and collimation will likely be critical if the scope is to perform anywhere near its potential. Of course, the maximum usable magnification is so small that even an f/3 scope may not suffer comparatively bad image quality at that aperture.

Andrew Wong

05-April-2009, 11:09 AM

Hi guys,I was just wondering whether if its worth for me to get this telescope.It will be my first and basic telescope to start of with.I'm from Malaysia and my savings really have its limit.So i was thinking if it is good for me to use this chance to get it.My parents don't really support me in astronomy so i couldn't ask them for any help.I hope everybody out there could give me an advice on this.Thank you!

rommel543

06-April-2009, 02:29 PM

Welcome Andrew.

I'm not sure about the full potential of the Galileoscope but will be testing it out once I get the ones for the kids. If you can wait that long, I'll be posting my comments.

Andrew Wong

06-April-2009, 02:57 PM

Rommel,I'll definitely wait for your response.Hope it really benefits.Thanks!

mahesh

25-April-2009, 10:22 AM

rommel..., thanks for the link.
A brilliant idea. And marks an important event, particularly this being IYA.
The 'scopes are ready to ship.

I would like to order a couple, one for my baby. Well he's got one, but not as neat as Galileoscope! I think he could do with an upgrade.
Obviously, he's got mine for later.

Nekota

27-April-2009, 09:36 AM

There must be some price per unit area of light gathering that would show how well this telescope compares to others. Are there other metrics that are more useful?

rommel543

16-July-2009, 02:18 AM

Ok, I've gotten the scope and done a bit of an overview of it.

The bottom line for the Galilieoscope is that its a good KIDS first scope, not anything that I would recommend to an adult unless they were looking for a really low cost telescope.

http://sites.google.com/a/woodfield.ca/galilescope/

Tobin Dax

16-July-2009, 03:10 AM

Thanks for the review, rommel. How long did it take you to assemble?

I'll nose around at work and see my order has come in.

AndrewJ

16-July-2009, 03:49 AM

I'm using mine to train myself to search the sky upside down with one eye - kind of a stepping stone between my big binocs and the 6" dob I'm saving up for.

Moose

16-July-2009, 02:52 PM

Got mine yesterday, although I haven't put it together yet. I'm moving in a couple of weeks, so I'll wait until I'm there before unpacking it.

I don't expect much better than strong field binocs, but that's really all I need it to do. Like AndrewJ, there's a 6" dob somewhere in my future. It'll have to wait for my life to settle down a bit, though.

Swift

16-July-2009, 02:56 PM

You guys finally got yours! It has been months. Maybe I'll get mine soon.

rommel543

16-July-2009, 06:26 PM

Tobin, it took me about 1/2 hr and thats with taking pictures, so I figure it would be the same with helping my 12yr old build it. Building it myself now would probably take me 15 min at most. The part that took the longest was putting together the eye pieces. The lenses for the 18x are small so hard to work with, especially when trying to only touch the sides.

Andrew, Moose, my son has 10x50 field binocs as well and the scope is quite comparable to them. The problem is trying to keep them steady while viewing objects in the sky can be difficult for a 12yr old.

I'm thinking about going out August long weekend and testing it out. Maybe finally get my 12 in dob out this year. The weather has seriously sucked this summer, we've only had about 5 nice days so far and it's been cloudy at night.

Swift, my order number was 241 so that might give you an idea where I was in the shipping list.

rommel543

16-July-2009, 06:28 PM

BTW, if you're in Canada London Drugs is apparently suppose to be getting them in.

Tobin Dax

16-July-2009, 08:52 PM

You guys finally got yours! It has been months. Maybe I'll get mine soon.
My order arrived today. You should get yours soon Swift.

Tobin Dax

16-July-2009, 10:20 PM

I ordered thirteen Galileoscopes for classroom use, since they looked like they'd be good for a number of physics and astronomy activities. Twelve sit in my lab, still boxed, for use in the fall. One has become a "floor model" for active use when I only need one 'scope.

I took my time putting the whole thing together (and still dropped the 18x lenses :mad:), and it took less than an hour. I'm the first to admit that I'm not mechanically inclined, but it came together. Anybody could put this together in an hour or so, which makes this what I was looking for. Both the 25x view and the 18x view worked well holding the telescope by hand. I did learn that I need to take my glasses of at 18x. I couldn't get an image at all with them on. I'll perform a better field test on a clear night when I can observe Jupiter, since that's my main desire for this fall semester.

Right now, here's what I think: This is a good beginner telescope, and it's very portable, but it's only for beginners and kids. Anyone serious about the hobby will want to upgrade quickly. Since this is exactly what the project set out to do, I'd say they pass with flying colors.

I'll have more to say once the weather decides to cooperate. :)

Tobin Dax

19-July-2009, 06:48 AM

Let me warn you that this is going to be a pretty useless post in the end, but I'd say that my Galileoscope passed a proof of concept test a couple hours ago.

The weather was cloudy most of the day, but cleared up before dusk. I spent a couple hours in the office this evening, and I knew I'd have to head back tonight and point the Galileoscope at Jupiter. I did. My tripod* is in my physics lab in another building, so I don't have access to it over the weekend. That made tonight's test more interesting, as I can't keep my arm very steady holding the 'scope on its own. Still, based on the dancing disk of Jupiter that I saw, the 25x will work well in showing the Galilean moons.

Since my office window faces east, I went inside and tried the 18x eyepiece, propping my elbow on my desk. This did help steady the telescope, but it still shook a bit. I also took off my glasses as I still couldn't see anything through the eyepiece with them on. I managed to focus pretty well, considering the conditions, and I think that this magnification should show the moons as well. None of this is for sure, though. Hopefully, the weather will be nice to me next week, and I'll get a chance one night to pull the tripod out into the well-lit parking lot.

*Being as the physics faculty at the college I work at consists of me, myself, and I, the word "my" means "the department's," and it's easier to use. :)

AndrewJ

19-July-2009, 09:54 PM

Its lightness and small stature make it convenient for putting on top of your car at dark sites for viewing around the zenith - the eyepiece is then at natural eye-level. I think that this may be its most appealing feature.

caedmon

20-July-2009, 01:44 PM

I placed my order for the GalileoScope back in February and it just arrived this weekend. I put it together and now I am waiting for a clear night to check out the moon.

This is my first foray in astronomical observation with something more than my naked eyes.

I have already discovered though, from initial playing with the 'scope, I could really use a right-angle eye piece. What do you folks do with a straight scope like this? Do you lay down on the ground and hold the 'scope on a tripod to avoid craning your neck?

peter eldergill

20-July-2009, 02:58 PM

I ordered one for my brother's kids and they put it together this weekend. He said it was very unstable and needed some sort of tripod. I assumed it came with one.

The ones I ordered haven't arrived yet (I ordered 3) and I'm not sure what to do with them yet

Pete