Galileoscope Kit
With a little bit of assembly, the whole family can share the wonders of the night sky.
<p><strong>Toy Description</strong></p>
<p>A plastic body encases beautifully clear glass lenses. The lenses are made of two different types of glass to help cut down on the chromatic aberration which occurs with cheaply made telescopes. Chromatic aberration is when images have blue blurs on one side and red blurs on the other side, similar to an image seen through 3D glasses. The different types of glass in the lenses corrects for this, making images crisp and sharp.</p>
<p>Assembly is required, but not difficult. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcwfghkGekY&spfreload=5" linktype="3" target="_blank">Above, we posted a great video made by Emily Rocksta</a> that goes through the assembly process. As Emily says in the video's comments, the lenses should not be picked up by bare hands. Use gloves or the packing tissue paper to keep any greasy fingerprints from smudging the lenses. These lenses are high quality and extremely clear, so any cloudiness viewed after assembly may be from fingerprints.</p>
<p>20 mm eyepiece provides a 25X view which can be doubled with the included Barlow lens.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GU47zpattVI" linktype="3" target="_blank">Here’s a video of the Moon as seen through a Galileoscope</a>. This is without the Barlow lens.</p>
<p><strong>Play</strong></p>
<p>The Moon’s surface, Jupiter and its moons, and a tiny view of Saturn’s rings are all visible. Aside from looking at our incredible celestial neighbors, structures on buildings, such as gargoyles, can also be viewed. DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN. This can cause serious eye damage. Be careful of this if looking around cities during the day, as sunlight reflected from glass and metal can be painful.</p>
<p>It’s best to be in a dark place when viewing, so those living amid light pollution from large cities may want to travel out a way, if possible. If that can’t happen, we recommend waiting for a clear night free of any cloud cover, such as a cool night in Autumn.</p>
<p>Here's <a href="http://www.noao.edu/education/files/Galileoscope-Observing-Guide-1.1.pdf" linktype="3" target="_blank">an observing guide</a> made by the National Optical Astronomy Observatory. It's neat.</p>
<p><strong>Observations</strong></p>
<p>The views are clear and crisp, and users report being very happy with their purchase. Many users report children being in awe the first time they see the moon through the telescope, and we agree, it is a powerfully memorable moment. We are really quite impressed with the quality.</p>
<p>The lenses provide a 25x magnification, which is doubled to 50x by the included Barlow lens. The magnification can exceed 50x by using any 1 ¼ inch lens accessories, purchased additionally. </p>
<p>Even though the body is made of plastic, it does not feel flimsy, or cheap.</p>
<p>A decent amount of cost is saved by allowing the user to assemble the telescope. We added a link above that shows the assembly process, so be sure to check it out to see what kind of effort will be needed. Overall, most users don’t have trouble with it.</p>
<p>We actually enjoyed the assembly process, as it gave us a deeper appreciation for the precision needed in the lenses, as well as a better understanding of how the optics worked.</p>
<p>The lenses can be set up as a Galilean configuration or a Keplerian, and comparing the two is quite remarkable. For more information on the lenses and telescope construction, please see the manufacturer’s website. It covers practically anything a user would want to know.</p>
<p>There is no included tripod, though the telescope can quickly and easily be mounted onto and removed from virtually any tripod out there. Here’s a pretty low priced tripod, but again, any will do, even the kind that just sits on a table top.</p>
<p>Includes two blocks that are used to hold it steady on a shelf.</p>
<p>Viewing is still easy for those who wear glasses.</p>
<p>Again, we must stress that this is not a telescope meant for those already inducted into astronomy. Intermediate and advanced astronomers will likely want a more powerful magnification. However, due to the high costs of telescopes, this is an excellent choice for classrooms or the child just starting out. Those expecting to see Jupiter's Big Red Spot will be disappointed. If seeing our solar system in that level of detail is really the goal, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Orion-8944-SkyQuest-Dobsonian-Telescope/dp/B001DDW9UW/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1468270830&sr=8-1&keywords=telescope+orion+xts&linkCode=ll1&tag=toti08-20&linkId=91023310204c009e534263c4cc0d6b39" linktype="3" target="_blank">we suggest trying this telescope, by Orion</a>. It's made for deep-space viewing, and its price reflects that.</p>
<p>We can not do justice to the amazing amount of information on the Galileoscope website, so please, check 'em out: <a href="http://galileoscope.org" linktype="3" target="_blank">http://galileoscope.org</a></p>
<p>We would like to address some of the negative reviews we found on Amazon regarding this telescope. We found no difficulty with the assembly. A little bit of patience was needed, but that is true for all toys that need to be put together. Furthermore, we believe this telescope to be the best bang for your buck when it comes to beginner scopes. </p>
<p><strong>Care</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Store in a safe place where it will not roll off a shelf</li>
<li>Avoid getting wet so water does not get trapped inside</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Parts and Pieces</strong></p>
<p>Assembly is required. However, no tools are necessary, and all parts fit into each other, as shown in the video above.</p>
<p><a href="http://galileoscope.org/assembly-instructions/" linktype="3" target="_blank">PDFs for assembly instructions are also available in eight languages.</a> </p>
<p>The Galileoscope is compatible with telescope accessories measuring 1 ¼ inch (31 ¾ mm).</p>
<p><strong>Concerns</strong></p>
<p>We have no concerns for this toy. </p>
Written by: The Guide For Toys
Galileoscope Kit
Date published: 2016-07-11
9.50 / 10 stars
Detailed ReviewToy Description
A plastic body encases beautifully clear glass lenses. The lenses are made of two different types of glass to help cut down on the chromatic aberration which occurs with cheaply made telescopes. Chromatic aberration is when images have blue blurs on one side and red blurs on the other side, similar to an image seen through 3D glasses. The different types of glass in the lenses corrects for this, making images crisp and sharp.
Assembly is required, but not difficult. Above, we posted a great video made by Emily Rocksta that goes through the assembly process. As Emily says in the video's comments, the lenses should not be picked up by bare hands. Use gloves or the packing tissue paper to keep any greasy fingerprints from smudging the lenses. These lenses are high quality and extremely clear, so any cloudiness viewed after assembly may be from fingerprints.
20 mm eyepiece provides a 25X view which can be doubled with the included Barlow lens.
Here’s a video of the Moon as seen through a Galileoscope. This is without the Barlow lens.
Play
The Moon’s surface, Jupiter and its moons, and a tiny view of Saturn’s rings are all visible. Aside from looking at our incredible celestial neighbors, structures on buildings, such as gargoyles, can also be viewed. DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN. This can cause serious eye damage. Be careful of this if looking around cities during the day, as sunlight reflected from glass and metal can be painful.
It’s best to be in a dark place when viewing, so those living amid light pollution from large cities may want to travel out a way, if possible. If that can’t happen, we recommend waiting for a clear night free of any cloud cover, such as a cool night in Autumn.
Here's an observing guide made by the National Optical Astronomy Observatory. It's neat.
Observations
The views are clear and crisp, and users report being very happy with their purchase. Many users report children being in awe the first time they see the moon through the telescope, and we agree, it is a powerfully memorable moment. We are really quite impressed with the quality.
The lenses provide a 25x magnification, which is doubled to 50x by the included Barlow lens. The magnification can exceed 50x by using any 1 ¼ inch lens accessories, purchased additionally.
Even though the body is made of plastic, it does not feel flimsy, or cheap.
A decent amount of cost is saved by allowing the user to assemble the telescope. We added a link above that shows the assembly process, so be sure to check it out to see what kind of effort will be needed. Overall, most users don’t have trouble with it.
We actually enjoyed the assembly process, as it gave us a deeper appreciation for the precision needed in the lenses, as well as a better understanding of how the optics worked.
The lenses can be set up as a Galilean configuration or a Keplerian, and comparing the two is quite remarkable. For more information on the lenses and telescope construction, please see the manufacturer’s website. It covers practically anything a user would want to know.
There is no included tripod, though the telescope can quickly and easily be mounted onto and removed from virtually any tripod out there. Here’s a pretty low priced tripod, but again, any will do, even the kind that just sits on a table top.
Includes two blocks that are used to hold it steady on a shelf.
Viewing is still easy for those who wear glasses.
Again, we must stress that this is not a telescope meant for those already inducted into astronomy. Intermediate and advanced astronomers will likely want a more powerful magnification. However, due to the high costs of telescopes, this is an excellent choice for classrooms or the child just starting out. Those expecting to see Jupiter's Big Red Spot will be disappointed. If seeing our solar system in that level of detail is really the goal, we suggest trying this telescope, by Orion. It's made for deep-space viewing, and its price reflects that.
We can not do justice to the amazing amount of information on the Galileoscope website, so please, check 'em out: http://galileoscope.org
We would like to address some of the negative reviews we found on Amazon regarding this telescope. We found no difficulty with the assembly. A little bit of patience was needed, but that is true for all toys that need to be put together. Furthermore, we believe this telescope to be the best bang for your buck when it comes to beginner scopes.
Care
- Store in a safe place where it will not roll off a shelf
- Avoid getting wet so water does not get trapped inside
Parts and Pieces
Assembly is required. However, no tools are necessary, and all parts fit into each other, as shown in the video above.
PDFs for assembly instructions are also available in eight languages.
The Galileoscope is compatible with telescope accessories measuring 1 ¼ inch (31 ¾ mm).
Concerns
We have no concerns for this toy.