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NEWS BLOG by Tony Flanders
The Amazing $20 Telescope
Sky & Telescope has reviewed innumerable telescopes, and only a handful of the ones that we've tried and liked cost less than $200. Now we're going to recommend a telescope that's selling for $20, and your response is going to be "you're kidding, right?" No, we're not!
It's largely a matter of design goals. The typical cheap scope sold in department stores has one very clear goal in mind — to separate you from your money. The fact that these scopes are totally unable to deliver on the 486× that they promise is beside the point. The Galileoscope has a completely different purpose: to provide a usable telescope at a price that anybody can afford. It's a brain-child of IYA2009, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Galileo's first paradigm-shattering astronomical discoveries.
S&T Editor Emeritus Rick Fienberg, a key organizer of the IYA, has always insisted that one of its primary goals should be to get as many people as possible to look through a telescope. Public star parties are one great way to achieve that goal, but they can only serve a modest fraction of the population. Harnessing people's curiosity and pride of ownership by marketing a genuinely inexpensive telescope is likely to reach far more people. And if the IYA can recover the development and production cost for this telescope, so much the better.
How good is the Galileoscope? This little 25x50 scope has very good optics, but no 50-mm scope can match the performance of our favorite $100 3-inch reflector, the cheapest scope that we've ever recommended before. On the other hand, it's far better than Galileo's own scope — and look how much he accomplished with that!
The scope's biggest limitation is that it has no mount, so you will either have to attach it to a good photo tripod or jury-rig your own mount. That's harder than it might be, because the scope lacks the 90-degree diagonal supplied with most refractors. The straight-through viewing angle requres that the scope be mounted higher than your head.
Take a look at the Galileoscope's specifications and then decide if you don't want to order one for yourself.
C. E. Odden / Phillips Academy
How good is the Galileoscope? This little 25x50 scope has very good optics, but no 50-mm scope can match the performance of our favorite $100 3-inch reflector, the cheapest scope that we've ever recommended before. On the other hand, it's far better than Galileo's own scope — and look how much he accomplished with that!
The scope's biggest limitation is that it has no mount, so you will either have to attach it to a good photo tripod or jury-rig your own mount. That's harder than it might be, because the scope lacks the 90-degree diagonal supplied with most refractors. The straight-through viewing angle requres that the scope be mounted higher than your head.
Galileoscope Project
Posted by Tony Flanders, March 24, 2009
The following comments do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Sky Publishing.
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By posting a comment, you agree to our Rules of Conduct and Terms of Use.
First comments (from 16)
$15 scope, Durable?
Posted by Nathaniel Sailor
March 24, 2009 At 04:40 PM PDT
My major question is durablity. If it's not durable it's not worth it. I did skim the specification, and they do look promising. I just hope it's very durable.
At $15, buy four
Posted by Mark Kelsey
March 26, 2009 At 01:48 PM PDT
At that price, give one away and when your grandkid comes back and says it's broken, hand over #2. At that point your grandkid will know how to handle it so you probably won't have to worry about handing over #3 or #4. Those can go to the next grandkid.
$25
Posted by killoran
March 27, 2009 At 05:38 AM PDT
The original goal was a $10 scope. With S&H it's now closer to $25, and you have to assemble it yourself. (But that can be educational.) Still, it seems like a good deal. I like that it takes the 1.25" eyepieces, so if you have any they'll work with this telescope. You use your own tripod as well. A wobbly stand will still give a wobbly view. I'm getting one, but strongly suspect the 2.4" I picked up for $20 at a yard sale will remain the better telescope. (Not at department store prices, however.) I've seen firsthand how kids get frustrated with small refractors. I always recommend the Astroscan (and similarly designed telescopes)to parents looking for a decent telescope for their child. It takes less than a minute to teach them how to use it, and they're pretty durable.
Galileo scope
Posted by Greg Simpson
March 27, 2009 At 08:27 AM PDT
Rather ambivalent about this. The intention is good, but we amateurs who set up our scopes for public viewings are always asked to recommend a "good first telescope"; I hear this all the time. Yeah, $15.00, or $25.00 with S&H--whatever--seems like a bargain, but a 50mm refractor is still a small, frustrating toy-like instrument. This telescope was conceived to take advantage of the hype over the IYA. With tens of thousands ordered so far, that means when the hype is over later this year, countless thousands will be left with little more than a toy.
Why not purchase a REAL "first scope" for the budding astronomer--the Celestron 76mm "FirstScope" reflector advertised on this page is a perfect example! $49.95 is more than $15.00 (or $25.00) of course, but a real starter scope will be much more beneficial: bigger aperture, no need to supply a tripod, etc.
The IYA shouldn't be a reason to promote cheap, plastic telescopes, but an opportunity to promote decent astronomical equipment.
Galileo scope
Posted by Jeff
March 27, 2009 At 04:26 PM PDT
Greg the people that this scope is intended for (I mean donations) could not afford a telescope period. A 'good' scope seems to be at the $150USD level. There are children around the world that could never, ever, in their lives afford $150USD. For some they'd think they were 'rich' with $150. Those kids now will have a real telescope to try. We can not look at it from a Western perspective (yes I know there are plenty of poor in the west as well!).
I totally agree that we don't want to promote the crappy telescopes. But if this scope is anywhere near as good as claimed, I bet it will handily beat the crappy scopes. With any luck it might inspire those who buy these garbage scopes to return them for a refund! After all "A $15USD scope shows more!"
If they are decent scopes, I look at this more like my advice that I give out to those that want a scope but don't have more than $200USD to spend, "Wait till until you do! But until then, buy a pair of binoculars". Well now we can say, "Got $15 bucks? Give your kid one of these and see if they are really interested."
My 2 cents
Galileo Scope
Posted by Pete
March 27, 2009 At 07:02 PM PDT
It's a great scope, mine came last week. And been using it everyday.
For those in Japan
Posted by Mike
March 27, 2009 At 10:05 PM PDT
Here is a similar product for those in Japan:
http://www.orbys.co.jp/kolkit/
$15 telescope
Posted by Julian Aucken
March 28, 2009 At 02:45 PM PDT
How do I get one in the UK please?
True purpose of this program
Posted by Don
March 28, 2009 At 11:13 PM PDT
Jeff, I agree with you. Maybe Greg just didn't see it, before writing and submitting his post, but I hope he understands, now, that this program and this scope is meant for the millions of underprivileged people (especially children) all over the world who would never otherwise be able to have a chance to look at the wonders of the sky through a telescope. Hats off to the founders and volunteers of this program! Maybe, just maybe, with this program, thousands if not millions of people will become so hooked on astronomy that there will finally be a major outcry (and thus major actions taken) against what I believe is one of the top ten biggest ecological problems today - LIGHT POLLUTION! Of course, it is stated that this scope will work even from light polluted urban areas. Oh well...I'll still be keeping my fingers crossed!
True purpose of this program
Posted by Don
March 28, 2009 At 11:13 PM PDT
Jeff, I agree with you. Maybe Greg just didn't see it, before writing and submitting his post, but I hope he understands, now, that this program and this scope is meant for the millions of underprivileged people (especially children) all over the world who would never otherwise be able to have a chance to look at the wonders of the sky through a telescope. Hats off to the founders and volunteers of this program! Maybe, just maybe, with this program, thousands if not millions of people will become so hooked on astronomy that there will finally be a major outcry (and thus major actions taken) against what I believe is one of the top ten biggest ecological problems today - LIGHT POLLUTION! Of course, it is stated that this scope will work even from light polluted urban areas. Oh well...I'll still be keeping my fingers crossed!
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comments (16)