Comments on: You too can be Galileo

By: coolstar

coolstar — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:04:40 +0000

In fact, the note I just got from the AAS said a Galileoscope ordered now probably wouldn’t arrive before January (they’ve apparently shipped about 100,000 so far). A good alternative is the Celestron Firstscope (also an official IYA2009 product). It’s a 3 inch diameter, rich-field Newtonian for about $45-50. Better yet would be BOTH of these as the Firstscope comes with much worse eyepieces than the Galileoscope.

By: Chaz

Chaz — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:52:12 +0000

Thanks for this, Daniel! I’m ordering a bunch of ‘scopes for my friends (and myself).

By: Adam Solomon

Adam Solomon — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:14:59 +0000

We too can be Galileo? Don’t fuel the cranks! As Sean said, “You are not Galileo. Honestly, you’re not. Dude, seriously.” (http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2007/06/19/the-alternative-science-respectability-checklist/)

By: Ken

Ken — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:27:27 +0000

Daniel,

Isn’t this a little…i don’t know…LATE?
They have been available all year long (I have now ordered 5 total – 1 for myself and 4 as gifts for friends who expressed interest via “funny faces made when viewing through my 10″ SCT).

As far as i know, they’ll stop selling them at the end of the year…so i guess it’s good to plug it before the end…but with only a month and a half left, I hope more people jump onto the wagon!

The only problem with the “G’Scope” is that your arm tends to get tired. A good cheap tripod is in order (and there are quite a few available out there from online stores as well).

I personally recommend taking a small knife, and after attaining optimal focus on the moon, make a little notch on the plastic body of the scope. This will save time trying to get the moon into focus. Either that, or use little label-maker tape strips, to set the focus position for various eyepieces, etc!

By: Megzor

Megzor — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:54:22 +0000

The simple act of looking through a telescope can make a big impact. In a panel called “Do we still believe in science?” http://www.q2cfestival.com/play.php?lecture_id=8015 journalist Natalie Angier suggested that playing with a telescope can peak curiosity, promote an amateur interest in science and can “bring people into the world of discovery,” ultimately encouraging and helping more people to understand and study science.