Galileoscopes go on sale

Posted: Friday, February 20, 2009 1:45 PM by Alan Boyle

Dean Coppola / Contra Costa Times

Astronomer Stephen Pompea peers through the low-cost Galileoscope at the
University of California at Berkeley. The $15 telescope kit is now on sale.

Astronomers have launched a commercial venture aimed at putting low-cost telescopes in the hands of a million people around the world. The Galileoscope Web site, one of the cornerstone projects for the International Year of Astronomy, began taking orders for the simple yet powerful scopes Thursday night.

The Galileoscope has been designed as a tribute to Galileo Galilei, who lofted his telescope toward the heavens 400 years ago and started a revolution in the way we see the universe. This telescope would have knocked Galileo's stockings off: It is made to more exacting 21st-century standards, is easier to put together and shows the night sky's wonders more clearly than they were ever seen back in 1609.

One of the best things is the price: $15 for one, and a bulk rate of $12.50 per kit for 100 or more (not including shipping). That price point is aimed at making the kits affordable for students and educators as well as folks in less developed regions of the world.

Groups in Norway, Brazil and the state of Wyoming are gearing up for bulk purchases of tens of thousands of the telescopes, said the National Optical Astronomy Observatory's Stephen Pompea, who is U.S. project director for the International Year of Astronomy.

The telescope already has gotten great reviews from tryouts at recent scientific meetings. "Everybody who's looked through it has been very excited about it," Pompea told me.

Doug Isbell puts together a Galileoscope in a YouTube video produced
by Brad Plummer of the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.

The team behind the project feels the same way: "We're very excited to finally be live after more than two years of blood, sweat and tears developing the Galileoscope," the chairman of the Galileoscope Task Group, Richard Tresch Fienberg, told me in an e-mail.

The telescope, which is sold as an easy-to-assemble kit, comes with a Barlow lens that boosts its power to 50x - easily good enough to show you details on Earth's moon, the phases of Venus (which is currently sparkling in evening skies), the moons of Jupiter and the rings of Saturn. When Galileo saw such features 400 years ago, the experience led him to the outrageous conclusion that our planet circled the sun instead of vice versa.

"If you use the Barlow as an eyepiece, you can duplicate what Galileo saw," Pompea said. But you'll want to go for the full 50x view, achieved by combining the 25x eyepiece with the power-doubling Barlow lens. The image you see in that configuration is upside-down - which means the Galileoscope "would not be a good birdwatching telescope, but maybe a bat-watching telescope," Pompea joked.

Dean Coppola / Contra Costa Times

Stephen Pompea shows the Galileoscope eyepiece.

The telescope incorporates tricks that Galileo never thought of - including internal baffles, a glare shield and a special coating on the tube's interior to minimize the effect of light pollution. "We were very careful to keep in mind that most of the people who will be using the telescope are living in urban areas," Pompea said.

In addition to online ordering, the Web site offers a study guide and an observing guide to help you make the most of your viewing. One add-on will be indispensable, Pompea said: "We definitely encourage everybody to use a tripod. ... It'll be frustrating if you try to use the telescope as a spyglass and just hold it up."

Although you can't order a tripod from the Web site, virtually any tripod with a standard mounting bolt will work just fine. If you don't have a tripod and can't afford to buy one, the observing guide provides instructions for building a makeshift mount using a broom handle or a box.

The Galileoscope commercial venture was established through the efforts of the American Astronomical Society as part of its contribution to the International Year of Astronomy, but Pompea said the idea behind the project is too good to last just one year.

"We're planning on it continuing after 2009," he said.

Update for 1:45 p.m. ET Feb. 20: The Galileoscope Web site was taken offline for a few hours this morning because credit-card information wasn't being passed along to the payment processing company, Fienberg told me. The problem has been fixed, and the site is now back online.

If you tried to make a payment overnight with a credit card, Fienberg said you will be receiving an e-mail from the Galileoscope team asking you to resubmit your order. But if you made a payment with PayPal, you should have a record of the payment and no further action should be required. Fienberg said the disconnect affected roughly 50 credit-card orders overnight. There's no reason to believe that credit-card information has been compromised.

Update for 10:50 p.m. ET Feb. 20: It looks as if there are still some Web site accessibility problems. The Galileoscope team will probably be fine-tuning this situation over the weekend.

Update for 4:05 p.m. ET Feb. 21: The site appears to be up and running now.

The first Galileoscopes are due to be delivered in April. The telescope optics were designed by Richard Pfisterer and Scott Ellis of Photon Engineering. The manufacturing partner is Merit Models of Racine, Wis., and the distribution partner is Leman USA of Sturtevant, Wis.

Where does the money go? Read the comments below for the answer.

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Comments

This is a great idea! I have run into people that have told me recently that they've never actually looked up at the night sky through any telescope or binoculars. I think the first time I did, it changed my life! The sky literally exploded with a dusting of stars that were a hundred times more numberous than what you could see without. Even if just for the view... to know a little bit more about our place in the galixy, it's WELL WORTH IT!

Chris Eldridge, HBG PA (Sent Friday, February 20, 2009 1:19 AM)

I recall the first time I looked up at the Moon through a cheap cardboard telescope I bought for $0.25 at a garage sale. I was hooked! 25 years later, I own 4 different telescopes and write an astronomy column for my local paper. I'm so excited that this scope is being offered - I've even put a link to the Galileoscope site on my own website.

What a deal - $15 for an astronomical telescope!! Sure it's small, sure the images will be upside down and reversed, but if it captures the imagination of thousands of people, we might just be able to make a dent into the problem of light pollution based on the awareness raised.

David Fuller - Peotone, IL (Sent Friday, February 20, 2009 8:10 AM)

I agree, my 13 year old just recently became interested in astronomy so this will be a neat addition to the rare planetarium trips.

JR, Memphis, Tn. (Sent Friday, February 20, 2009 8:12 AM)

I agree with Chris. When I was younger my teacher had a very powerful telescope ($6000) and I think one eye piece was like $300. The first time I looked through the scope it felt...I can't really explain how it felt in words...it was almost like I was out there looking everything. I really couldn't believe what I was seeing and I've been hooked ever since. This scope sounds great and I actually have a baby due in 4 weeks so I will be picking it up for myself and my future star gazer. It'll be a while before he/she can look through it but I'll be ready.

Justin, Sterling Heights, MI (Sent Friday, February 20, 2009 8:14 AM)

This is awesome. I am getting one for every member of my house. My kids will love it.

Jsin, AZ (Sent Friday, February 20, 2009 8:22 AM)

Provides me with my "cosmic calm." Look at the moon for a while, study the craters and features and ponder the vastness beyond the moon and it will calm your mind and ease your spirit. A great stress reliever. Relaxation is almost required, being tense just doesn't work.

David Howell, Tallahassee, FL (Sent Friday, February 20, 2009 8:33 AM)

I think the Galileoscope is a good, low cost idea to spark interest in astronomy, especially with young people. However, these guys making/promoting the Galileoscope need to be careful not to overstate what this 50mm refractor with plastic lenses is going to be able to show. You won't see the cloud bands on Jupiter, and you'll barely be able to make out the rings of Saturn as one blurry ring. It won't give good views of the planets. The Moon will be the object it resolves okay. It may resolve some faint detail in Messier Objects 31, 33, 42/43, but only in very dark skies away from cities. People that get one of these scopes will either quickly want something better, or they'll lose interest all together (which would be unfortunate).

To parents; if you buy one of these Galieoscopes for your child, they remain interested in astronomy after using it for a while, and you want to invest in nurturing their interest, then I would suggest a 6-8 inch aperture Newtonian reflector. Celestron and Meade make good optics for the lowest prices. I have owned several Celestrons, currently a carbon fiber C11. They've all been great telescopes for the price, and I know many people who say the same of their Celestrons and Meades.

Don't buy the no name brands like Baytronics off Ebay because they really do make poor quality mirrors/lenses (they're very cheap for a reason). You really can't get good quality for lower prices than Celestron and Meade.

JP Hackman (Sent Friday, February 20, 2009 8:54 AM)

Great article Alan! Bringing science to the masses at an affordable price is such an awesome concept. Amazing how such a simple device nowadays led to such a revolution in astronomy 500 years ago. The National Geographic channel had on some great shows called The Known Universe this past Sunday and last night and anyone who loves astronomy should endeavor to watch them.

Go Galileoscopes!

Eric, Salinas, CA (Sent Friday, February 20, 2009 9:11 AM)

As a child of the Moon-landing era, I am fascinated by all things astronomical. However, I'm not sure my children's generation is so enamored of space to make this thing really take off. I have a powerful telescope and set it up one night to take a peek at Saturn. I had my sons come out to see, and despite the fact that from our driveway we could see millions of miles and clearly view the Rings (which to me is a miracle!), they were all like, "Yeah Dad, that's cool. Can we go back inside?"...

John Wilhelm, St. Louis, MO (Sent Friday, February 20, 2009 9:22 AM)

What a fantastic opportunity. Every father should take an evening and show their children the milky way. Tell them wild stories and allow their imaginations to grow. It's a great device!

Jason Fontaine (Sent Friday, February 20, 2009 9:37 AM)

How cool is this! I'm excited to try it out, and what a great gift for the kids in our lives. Getting them outside to explore their world in such a fun way. Thank you to the Galileoscope engineers and creators for making such a cool product so financially friendly.

Katherine, Marion, IN (Sent Friday, February 20, 2009 9:39 AM)

The galileoscope website seems to be down :-(

Casey, North Dakota (Sent Friday, February 20, 2009 9:54 AM)

i got excited upon reading this since i've been planning to buy a telescope for such a long time. it's just that they are too expensive to buy. with this telescope maybe i can finally watch the heavens at night.

but ! the site seems down, too much traffic maybe because of this article ? :-) i hope they fix it soon.

lito (Sent Friday, February 20, 2009 10:44 AM)

I too am excited about this user-friendly and pocketbook-friendly telescope. Once the site comes back up I plan to order one for myself and my nephews. Any information on what is being done with the money raised? I understand this is a commercial venture, but is any money going into astronomy/science related coffers?

[ALAN ADDS: I did mean to ask about that myself, thanks for the reminder. Here's what Rick Fienberg said on that subject via e-mail:]

"The Galileoscope project is a labor of love by people who aren't in it
to make money, but to share the wonders of the night sky with others and
to help prepare the next generation to live in a world dominated by
science and technology. Yes, our manufacturing and distribution partners
will make a little money off the project, but only VERY little. They've
given us incredibly good prices as their way of supporting the goals of
the project. Galileoscope, LLC, is set up to make essentially no money
-- we've priced the telescope kit so as to just barely cover our costs.
Nearly all the money we've spent so far has come out of our own personal
pockets, with uncertain prospects for ever recovering any of it.
Galileoscope, LLC, has officers (as every company must) but no employees
and no payroll.

"The phrase 'the money raised' actually doesn't make sense. We haven't
raised any money from donations or gifts. The only money coming in
(finally, now that the site is up again) is money from orders, and that
money is going to produce and distribute Galileoscopes. As you've
probably seen on the site, we're taking some orders for delivery to
customers and others for donation, i.e., for Galileoscopes that will be
shipped to underserved astronomy groups (students, science museums,
etc.) around the world."

Derrick, Spokane WA (Sent Friday, February 20, 2009 11:16 AM)

JP hackman makes a good point about what can and cannot be seen though this telescope. Unfortunately the public in general does not realize that the images we see in print are deep exposure images, and not even a large telescope can reveal that level of detain without a camera attached to it. When we run our observatory open nights using a 16 inch telescope at a relatively dar site, there are always some people disapointed that they cannot see more.

For a kid the galeleoscopes are great though, and nothing beats the price.

On the issue of brand name, I would recommend against buying the first thing you see at target, but there are good scopes made by companies other than celestron and mead, and those tend to be a lot cheper.
I am an astronomy Ph.D. student who stares at data taken by Hubble and other very large professional telescopes for a living. I also have a 4" generic newtonian that I take out in my front yard in suburban Atlanta whenenever it is clear and I need to unwind. (I actually do it in the front year on purpose so that people walking their dogs will stop and look through it!) Yes, it is not a meade, and it is a little harder to use, but it can be quite enjoyable.

A note for those who may be thinking of buying a telescope: They are a little harder to use then it seems at first. Finding an object in the sky is often hard, and takes practice. But a fter a while you get really good at it.
I noticed several people here mention they want to or either have children who want to become astronomers. I do not see myself pursuing any other career, but there are challenges. Please feel free to email me for a deeper discussion.
Serge
dieterich@chara.gsu.edu

Serge, Atlanta, GA (Sent Friday, February 20, 2009 11:20 AM)

One ALMOST has to feel some sympathy for the Vatican, who persecuted Galileo. Why do they insist on fighting science now?

Don't they see they can't win and that the scientists are always right? Get with the winning team!

Jim Rousch (Sent Friday, February 20, 2009 11:58 AM)

Galileo's reputation increases as the Church's decreases. No one takes the Church seriously anymore.

Jim Rousch (Sent Friday, February 20, 2009 11:59 AM)

these are going to disappoint a lot of people. What you hope to see and will be able to see in any detail will be a let down. This is only 50X, spend a few more dollars and buy a decent pair of binouclars, 7x35 or 10 X50 will do a nice job, as the article mentions for larger binouclars use a tri-pod. Kids will be quickly bored with this. One of the problems mentioned by others is the problem of light pollution and finding things. If the sky is polluted to any degree with stray light finding anything but the most obvious can be frustrating because you may be able to see enough landmarks to star hop.

Joe Sioux Falls (Sent Friday, February 20, 2009 12:09 PM)

That's a great idea, but maybe as an option you could purchase separately a lens set that was the quality that Galileo had. Having looked through scopes before, it would mean a lot more to me to be looking at the heavens and see more exactly what The Man saw. I feel it would give a more accurate representation of history, and add a sense of wonder to the conclusions he came up with. I'd spend $15 to see what he saw.

[ALAN ADDS: Tom, Pompea told me that if you use the Barlow lens (which he says would be the equivalent of 17x) as the eyepiece for the Galileoscope, you would see the heavens as Galileo saw them, and right side up to boot. I'm sure some folks more versed in telescope optics can either correct or expand upon that suggestion.]

Tom, Dallas, TX (Sent Friday, February 20, 2009 12:15 PM)

They are now for sale. The site is up and working as of 1:15 Eastern time

Dave W Stratford, CT (Sent Friday, February 20, 2009 1:31 PM)

I think that I found my father's day present for my Dad. I just wonder how much he might use it. I guess that I will have to wait until he retires to really expect him to use it.

S.B. Stein E.B. NJ (Sent Friday, February 20, 2009 2:51 PM)

This is a great little scope. It has been evolving over a year and is very very nice tool. Yesterday I compared it to my $300 dollar refractor and it was more impressive. Make no mistake it is not the hubble but it is no toy either. I currently own several Celsetron scope the largest a 10" dob all the way down to 2" refractors. And the Galileoscope will be my travel scope ahead of even my 35X Celestron binoculars. They have sent prototypes of this around the world to the best astronomers in the business and all I have heard is thumbs up. Good job Doug A. Steve P. Doug I Rick F. and Kevin M.

tom smith (Sent Friday, February 20, 2009 4:34 PM)

I think people should keep in mind the point of these. They are simple, educational, inexpensive and intended to spark interest. People waste far more money on trash scopes. And while binoculars are great for astronomy, a good pair basic is probably 4x the money and you won't be able to see the rings of Saturn with them.

D. Gamey, Toronto, Canada (Sent Friday, February 20, 2009 6:25 PM)

Great first step in making hands-on astronomy widely accessible. Any child with even an incling of interest would have a ball with it. I really do believe a person has to be a certain type for this because in my experience there are many who are indifferent to the night sky it seems.

Thomas Ashby, Calgary (Sent Friday, February 20, 2009 6:53 PM)

I don’t understand how this is a tribute to Galileo. To be a tribute would be to build the same thing he built. Let our children see what he saw. Let them wonder how he knew what he knew based on that telescope built four hundred years ago without any of today’s technology. ‘Knock his stockings off’? You’re not really serious right?

[ALAN ADDS: Yes, I'm absolutely serious ... it would create a ripple in the spacetime continuum that would physically sweep the stockings off Galileo's legs. ;-) Actually, Galileo would be amazed at the current state of telescope optics. As I mentioned in response to a previous posting, it's possible to configure the telescope so that you would see things pretty much as Galileo saw them. Then you can boost the power to get a better look. Of course, Galileo didn't have to contend with as much light pollution as we have today in most parts of the world, so in that aspect of skywatching, he had it better than us.]

Dave BC WA (Sent Saturday, February 21, 2009 12:55 AM)

I guess I'm not sure why they talk about how easy it is to take apart... It shows how easy it is to assemble and sure... but seems to me to be a rather moot point unless you need to to adjust maybe the position of the lenses. Sometimes trying to sell something needs to be as simple as the telescope itself and taking it apart might make people wonder why. I'll agree that for anything to be taken apart 200 times that it must be of a very good quality... we all know how cheep some types of plasic screws are. Just a thought.

Chris (Sent Saturday, February 21, 2009 3:53 AM)

Alan, I didn’t mean to sound insulting. I reread the article and I see where you said we can see the same thing he saw. However, I still don’t think some fifteen dollar telescope after four hundred years of technology is going to blow his socks off. The Hubble? That might blow his socks off.

[ALAN ADDS: No insult taken, you may well be right. Hubble is a sock-blower-offer even for 21st-century folk.]

Dave BC WA (Sent Saturday, February 21, 2009 9:59 PM)

Actually, I don't know what exactly these people mean when they imply it's a Galileo telescope when infact it's anything but. Galileo's scope was a 1330 mm long and 26 mm aperture piece that baosted 14 X's magnification. Another was refined to give a magnification was maybe 20 X's. I suppose you will have to stop the aperture down by 1/2 to really get a feel for what Galileo saw.

http://outreach.atnf.csiro.au/education/senior/astrophysics/galileo.html

Thomas Ashby, Calgary (Sent Sunday, February 22, 2009 1:02 PM)

The Galileoscope is a wonderful instrument for simulating the views seen through the first telescopes. For $15 you're certainly not going to get high-precision optics, but you will sense the wonder that Galileo surely must have felt. Any optical aid is an improvement over using the eyes alone, and a lot can be seen with such a simple instrument. If you then get hooked on astronomy, as I did 48 years ago, check out beginning instuments from dealers like Orion, Astronomics, and telescopes.com. This simple scope could start you on a lifetime of discovery. I'd be happy to respond to any emails and questions. Clear skies!

Jim Brant, Brighton, TN (Sent Sunday, February 22, 2009 5:02 PM)

Thomas, the implication probably means that it's a refractor. And some other big differences you missed are the plastic barrel, at $15 I suspect the lenses are plastic, and even if glass I'll bet Galileo's weren't machine ground in an automated factory. If you were trying to make a point in there (well hidden) about how much he was able to do with how little, yes. As it is, the last 15 bucks I spent on a telescope got me a Newtonian. Well, not an exact replica, but ...

Tim Rommes, Washington, UT (Sent Monday, February 23, 2009 1:16 AM)

Why do people care how 'accurate' of a replica this scope is to Galileo's? 1330mm? Who cares? Try telling your kid that it's not the same thin he saw because it' not 1330mm long with a 26mm aperature. He/she will just say, "Uhh..what?" This isn't meant to be a replica, just a close approximation with improvements that are possible in this day and age. Yes, you can get an approximate view with the lens to what Galileo saw, but really to spark a child's interest it's going to take more than a scope being a replica of that first one. And for doing this so cheaply I applaud you all and wish you all well in your future endeavor's.

Jeff, San Antonio, TX (Sent Monday, February 23, 2009 7:29 AM)

Jeff, focal length (and f ratio) aren't important but there is a stark difference between 50mm of aperture and 26mm. If you want to approximate what Galileo saw then cut a 25mm hole into the middle of cardboard or card paper and stop it down to 25mm. The resolution will be the same.

Thomas Ashby, Calgary (Sent Monday, February 23, 2009 2:32 PM)

I understand there is a drastic difference between this scope and the true Galileo scope, I just don't understand why people are so upset because they compared it to his scope when they never implied that it was meant to be an exact replica of said scope. Besides as they mentioned for most people even if they did have an exact replica of his scope they wouldn't see the same thing due to light and other types of pollution.

Jeff, San Antonio, TX (Sent Monday, February 23, 2009 9:50 PM)

I agree with Jeff from San Antonio and I also aplaud every one for their labor of love. Thanks Lilo, L.V.

Lilo Tatom, Las Vegas, NV (Sent Tuesday, February 24, 2009 3:48 AM)

Correction, the resolution or light gathering power will decrease significantly

Thomas Ashby, Calgary (Sent Tuesday, February 24, 2009 5:11 PM)

Thomas,
I took your statement to mean that by reducing the aperature to 25 mm the resolution will be the same as what Galileo saw. Except for significantly better lensing that is correct isn't it? I'd think stopping it down and applying a very thin coat of petroleum jelly would get a pretty authentic look for anyone interested in seeing how far things have come. Although the field of view is still pretty wide. It gives a sense of how diligent these guys had to be.

Tim Rommes, Washington, UT (Sent Wednesday, February 25, 2009 11:04 AM)

The purpose of this telescope is NOT to be able to see faint objects like galaxies - although Andromeda galaxy should be easily seen with this telescope on a dark night with clear skies. At 50x, there are NO binoculars for under $50 that will come close to this. I have a 16x50 - that's 16x with a 50mm aperture (same as the Galileoscope aperture). Not even close to what this telescope can do for magnification. So don't think you can get more out of binoculars - you can't. Want to know what a serious amateur astronomer like myself would do with this? I would mount it on my 12" telescope and use it as a finderscope. But for children who haven't had the experience of knowing how a telescope is designed and put together, and haven't seen the Moon or Saturn yet in any telescope, this will knock their socks off! Now for the best part. This telescope is designed to match the same specs that Galileo used when he started charting the heavens. If nothing else, for the price you can put this on the shelf and say, "I've got the same telescope that Galileo used," and feel a kind of pride knowing that your 12" inch telescope is a galaxy away from anything Galileo could have dreamed of. Honestly, this is a fantastic starter telescope with tremendous educational value for children to learn about astronomy. Don't knock it!

John Carter, Prescott Valley, AZ (Sent Friday, February 27, 2009 12:25 AM)

The Church was right: Galileo was working with the Devil with his telescope(s). How dare he say that the planets revolved around the Sun!

(All kidding aside) I think this Galileo-scope replica will be a great astronomical beginner's scope for young and old. I, for one, loved the take-apart demonstration I saw recently, during Project ASTRO 2009 teacher-astronomer training.

Astronomy fun. And only around $15! I've order 8 of these little gems. Perfect gift for friends and relatives, who don't have their own scopes.

Paul Goodwin - Prescott, AZ (Sent Friday, February 27, 2009 2:55 PM)

These scopes are from China, nice way to fuel communists. Cannot Sweeden, Mexico, Germany or even the US develope the same product? or have we givin the Chinese the same technology we have, therefore rendering us impitant to compete. I wonder what the world will look like 100 years from now.

Brian, chicago, illinois (Sent Wednesday, June 10, 2009 6:46 PM)

I am still awiting the delivery of my scope--any idea?? ordered end of May

mike callahan (Sent Saturday, June 13, 2009 3:05 PM)

I want to buy a Galileoscope from India, but the shipping is 28 dollars ( twice the price of galileoscope) any one who travels from US to India can help me to get a Galileoscope.

Pravin, Bangalore, Karnataka, India (Sent Friday, July 24, 2009 4:54 AM)

Dear Pravin,

you can get galileo scope here in india for just 12$. Please check the website www.gnomonastrotech.in for galileoscope

Pankaj, Delhi, India (Sent Sunday, August 30, 2009 2:04 AM)

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