The Galileoscope is a high-quality, low-cost telescope kit developed by a team of leading astronomers and science educators. No matter where you live, with this easy-to-assemble kit, you can see the celestial wonders that Galileo Galilei first glimpsed over 400 years ago including lunar craters and mountains, four moons circling Jupiter, the phases of Venus, Saturn’s rings, and countless stars invisible to the unaided eye. This page will provide information on how you can obtain a Galileoscope yourself.
Galileo Galilei, more commonly known by just his first name, was a late 16th/early 17th century physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher who made great contributions towards the scientific revolution. In 1609, he constructed the first known complete astronomical telescope, which revolutionized the way we view outer space from Earth. Through this invention, Galileo made many important observations and discoveries that helped to solidify a basis for our knowledge of the Universe today.
What Is Galileoscope?
The Galileoscope is…
- An advanced educational telescope kit designed by a team of experts.
- An educational program to accompany the kit.
- A professional-development program for teachers.
- A Cornerstone Project of the International Year of Astronomy 2009, a worldwide effort in more than 145 countries, led by the U.S. Galileoscope team.
What can you see with the Galileoscope?
The best views are of the key objects that Galileo observed and that influenced his views on astronomy. The Galileoscope is optimized to provide high-quality views of…
- Mountains and craters on the Moon, which revealed to Galileo that the Moon is a craggy world like Earth, not a smooth heavenly sphere.
- Four moons circling Jupiter, which revealed to Galileo that there can be more than one center of motion in the universe, and that a planet can move through space without losing its satellites.
- More stars in the Pleiades and Beehive star clusters than can be seen with the unaided eye, which revealed to Galileo that nature is filled with wonders never before imagined — literally more than meets the eye.
- Saturn’s rings, which perplexed Galileo because his telescope wasn’t strong enough to show them clearly. (In its 50-power configuration, the Galileoscope will reveal Saturn’s rings in all their splendor.)
- Venus going through a complete set of phases, like the Moon, which showed Galileo that Venus orbits the Sun, not the Earth.