Cosmic Light Cornerstone - Galileoscope

Building on the success of the International Year of Astronomy Cornerstone project, the project propose to manufacture and distribute at least 100,000 Galileoscopes to teachers and students (from primary school through college) across the globe. The Galileoscope is an optically excellent but inexpensive telescope kit suitable for both optics education indoors and celestial observations outdoors. In the process of assembling the kit, which requires no tools or adhesives, students use the included optical bench to learn how lenses form images and explore other optics concepts. Then, with their completed 50-mm (2-inch) diameter, 25- to 50-power achromatic refractor, they enjoy sharp views of the Moon, planets, and other bright astronomical objects. The kit is augmented with free, standards-based optics-education and observing activities, available in multiple languages. These well-tested activities can be used by classroom and after-school teachers as well as informal educators to provide a rigorous approach to teaching science and the process of science. With its dual emphasis on optics and astronomy, the Galileoscope supports three of the International Year of Light’s main themes: Science of Light, Light Technology, and Light in Nature.

Project Coordinators:
Professor Douglas N. Arion (darion@carthage.edu)
Dr Richard Fienberg (rick.fienberg@aas.org)

Project website:
http://galileoscope.org/