| | 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! | | |
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| Grab these great deals while they last: |
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Weighing just over two pounds and offering a large 60mm aperture, the National Geographic 20-60x60 spotting scope is perfect for nature watching and casual stargazing. It has fully multi-coated optics that enhance contrast and a zoom eyepiece that offers magnifications ranging from 20x to 60x and is angled at 45° for comfortable viewing. Additional features include a tabletop tripod with a panhandle control that allows you to smoothly track objects and non-reflective rubber armoring that protects the device from minor bumps. |
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| Refractors are a classic choice for astronomers of all levels |
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| Save now on select refractor packages |
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For hundreds of years, people have been connecting with the Moon, the planets and much, much more with refractor telescopes. For a limited time, Explore Scientific is offering discounts on a versatile selection of refractor designs ranging from the Explore One Gemini 70mm telescope to the ED152 Carbon Fiber refractor — a true astrophotography workhorse. |
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| | Great for both lunar and planetary viewing, the Gemini refractor has a 70mm aperture and a 700mm focal length. It comes with two eyepieces, a red dot finder, an alt-azimuth mount and a fully adjustable tripod with an accessories tray. | | |
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| | This FirstLight 90mm refractor package includes with an alt-azimuth yoke mount, a 1.25" draw tube focuser, a 1.25" erect imaging diagonal, 1.25" K9 and K20 eyepieces, a red dot finder, and a smartphone adapter that makes it easy to capture images. | | |
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| | The FirstLight 80mm refractor is a great option for grab-and-go astronomy. This telescope has an aperture sized for portability that still has the light-gathering capability to reveal celestial wonders like the desolate beauty of the lunar terrain, the serene structure of Saturn’s rings or the brightest deep sky treasures of the Messier catalog. This special bundle offer pairs the FirstLight 80mm refractor with our equally portable iEXOS-100 mount. Powered by our revolutionary PMC-Eight technology, this German equatorial mount will ensure you spend more time looking at objects and less time looking for them. To find out more about the components in this bundle combination, click the yellow button below. | | |
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| Get the aperture you need to explore brilliant deep sky treats |
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| Save now on 114mm, 130mm & 208mm reflectors |
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Aperture is a key factor to consider if you want to connect with ancient starlight in the form of galaxies, nebulae and star clusters. Due to their traditionally substantial apertures, reflectors have long been associated with deep sky observing. For a limited time, Explore Scientific is offering discounts on a versatile selection of reflector designs ranging from the Explore One 114mm Aurora to the FirstLight 8-inch Dobsonian. |
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| | Designed with junior astronomers in mind, this easy-to-use 114mm reflector model comes with two eyepieces, a sturdy mount with smooth motion controls, a fully adjustable metal tripod and a red dot finder. | | |
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| | The FirstLight 130mm Newtonian is an f/4.6 telescope with a 600mm focal length. It comes with a Twilight I alt-azimuth mount, a 25mm eyepiece, a red dot finder and an adapter that allows you to easily capture images with your smartphone. | | |
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| | With its large 208mm aperture and short 812mm focal length, this N208 Newtonian offers a fast, rich-field optical design perfect for wide-field deep sky astrophotography and visual observations of stellar clouds, nebulae, and galaxies. This telescope also features no-tool knob collimation to make precise collimation adjustments easy. The 208mm Newtonian comes with a 2-inch Crayford focuser with 1.25-inch adapter with integrated T-thread to attach optional T-thread ring; cradle rings with slotted handle, which can be an attachment point for piggy-back cameras; Vixen-style dovetail; finder scope bracket; and lens covers. | | |
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