It's Galileo's birthday! Celebrate with this surprise deal!

Today is the perfect day to tip your telescope to the man largely considered to be “the father of modern observational astronomy.” Galileo Galilei was born on February 15th in 1564 in Pisa, Italy, as the eldest of six children. Influenced by his father, a musician who had gained fame but not financial security, he began his university career with the intent to earn a degree in the more profitable discipline of medicine, However, he quickly discovered a passion for mathematics and the gears for his spectacular achievements in math, physics and astronomy were set in motion.

Galileo’s list of scientific accomplishments and inventions is daunting and covers a wide range of disciplines. In terms of astronomy, his most astounding contributions began in 1609 when he made remarkable improvements to a simple Dutch spyglass that was at the time awaiting patent.

Even though he had not seen the rumored device, he reasoned out how it would operate and created his own 3x telescope. Eventually his experiments led to larger magnification capabilities.

Using the scopes he designed, Galileo made many notable observations including discovering four of Jupiter’s largest moons, providing proof that Venus had phases and revealing that the Moon’s surface was not smooth but was instead a topographical treat that he went on to chart. He observed sunspots and confirmed that the heavens held vast amounts of stars that the naked eye could not discern. Throughout his life, he chipped away at the geocentric beliefs of the time that stated the Earth was at the center of the universe and all objects in space orbited it. At great personal risk, he championed the less-than-popular heliocentric theory, which held that the Sun was at the center of the solar system and the Earth and other planets revolved around it.

Created as a cornerstone project for the 2009 International Year of Astronomy (IYA), the Galileoscope telescope kit solved a long-standing problem: the lack of a high-quality, low-cost kit suitable for both optics education and celestial observation. The Galileoscope was also a cornerstone project of the 2015 International Year of Light (IYL).

Over the course of the project managed by volunteers and promoted mainly through word-of-mouth, more than a quarter-million Galileoscope kits have been distributed to teachers, students, and other enthusiasts in more than 110 countries for science education and public outreach.

The program was only expected to last through the IYA, but the global astronomy education and outreach community loved the kit and asked its creators (Stephen M. Pompea, Richard Tresch Fienberg, Douglas N. Arion, Thomas C. Smith, and Douglas Isbell) to keep it in production, and after nearly 10 years of serving the educational STEM community that team was preparing to wind down.

But the demand by the educational community has remained strong, and a search ensued to find a worthy successor of the Galileoscope. Explore Scientific was approached in late 2018 to take over manufacturing and distribution, and we felt the project was a perfect fit. Now we can ensure that educators and students around the world can continue the Galileoscope's legacy of unlocking the learning process of exploring the universe with quality self-assembled telescopes!