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Catching Cosmic Light with the Galileoscope (page 05)
Richard Tresch Fienberg, Douglas N. Arion

Key Words
Galileoscope, telescope, International Year of Light, International Year of Astronomy, celestial observation, planetary observations, optics.

Summary

Created for the 2009 International Year of Astronomy, the Galileoscope solved a long-standing problem: the lack of high quality, low cost telescope kits suitable for both optics education and celestial observation. Through an effort managed entirely by the volunteers who have authored this article almost 240 000 Galileoscope kits have now been distributed in 106 countries across the globe, for use in science teaching and public outreach. The Galileoscope outreach programme for the 2015 International Year of Light is now in full swing, giving tens of thousands of students, teachers and parents their first telescopic look at the Moon’s craters and Saturn’s rings.