senortim
member
Reged: 12/27/08
Posts: 21
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Yeah! Someone should post resources for building ones own tripod! 
--Tim
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George N
professor emeritus
Reged: 05/19/06
Posts: 672
Loc: Binghamton & Indian Lake NY
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Quote:
Does anyone know the status of the Galileoscope Cornerstone Project? ....
The Galileoscope website (http://www.galileoscope.org/) now sez that ordering will start in mid January. There is also a place to sign up for “contact”. There’s a U’tube video of the moon taken thru a prototype here: http://tinyurl.com/a258e9
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George N
Obsession 20
Optical Guidance Systems 10" F/9 R-C Cass
6" F/5 & 8" F/8 home-made Newts
MI-250 mount
SBIG STL-1301E CCD
Member, International Dark-Sky Association
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senortim
member
Reged: 12/27/08
Posts: 21
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Awesome! Thanks George!
--Tim
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StarStuff1
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 04/01/07
Posts: 967
Loc: South of the Mason-Dixon Line
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We discussed this project at our club meeting last night. We are anxiously waiting more details other than "sign up now and we will ship later".
Does anyone know exactly what the objective is? A 40-50mm doublet at f/10 or so would be my guess looking at the photo of the Galileoscope. Number of eyepieces and their focal length? Price? Tripod or not?
I actually belong to 2 astro clubs and both will participate in IYA but it would be great to know more concrete facts about this project before committing any funds.
Thanks,
Terry
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Tools that make objects very far away appear much closer than they actually are.
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George N
professor emeritus
Reged: 05/19/06
Posts: 672
Loc: Binghamton & Indian Lake NY
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Quote:
.....
Does anyone know exactly what the objective is? A 40-50mm doublet at f/10 or so would be my guess looking at the photo of the Galileoscope. Number of eyepieces and their focal length? Price? Tripod or not? .....
According to this document (http://tinyurl.com/6u25xt):
"The telescope uses a glass achromat lens with diameter of 51mm with a 500mm focal length for the objective lens. Coupled with an 18mm focal length eyepiece yields a
magnification of 28x. This design gives a nice magnification while preserving a reasonably large field of view. The magnification can be doubled with an optional
Barlow lens. The eyepiece holder will accept any 1.25” eyepiece...... Our telescope kit design is a Keplerian telescope, made with a positive eyepiece lens arrangement. However, in the process of building the Galileoscope, the students can also construct the telescope with a negative lens eyepiece, which is the same design that Galileo pioneered....."
On a NASA Night Sky Network Telcon a few weeks ago they said the cost would be "between $10 & $15 each". The document above says "...plus shipping....".
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George N
Obsession 20
Optical Guidance Systems 10" F/9 R-C Cass
6" F/5 & 8" F/8 home-made Newts
MI-250 mount
SBIG STL-1301E CCD
Member, International Dark-Sky Association
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aquilla
journeyman
Reged: 09/18/08
Posts: 8
Loc: Ann Arbor & Ypsilanti, Michiga...
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You can get a quarter/20 threaded screw and washer and put it trough a hole near the top of a sturdy cardboard box for a simple tripod. Place something (like a couple rocks) in the box for stability.
You can now sign up on the website to be notified of updates:
http://galileoscope.org.s24296.gridserver.com/
Edited by aquilla (01/12/09 12:13 PM)
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StarStuff1
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 04/01/07
Posts: 967
Loc: South of the Mason-Dixon Line
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It is probably too late now but I think the scope would serve its intended purposes better if it came with two eyepieces. A 25mm kellner eyepiece would give 20x. The brighter image with a wider field would be easier to use hand held. The second ep could be a -17mm double convex lens for 30x and a view more like what Galileo had.
Just my 2 cents.
I like the idea of this project and hope it is wildly successful. And I want a Galileoscope to add to my arsenal.
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Tools that make objects very far away appear much closer than they actually are.
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senortim
member
Reged: 12/27/08
Posts: 21
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Has anyone heard details about the "optional" Barlow eyepiece? I'm wondering 1) whether this is an addition or a replacement for the original eyepiece, 2) whether one will be able to order both eyepieces right away, and 3) how much the Barlow eyepiece will add to the price tag.
A related question is whether the Barlow eyepiece would be the best choice? I know nothing about eyepieces compared to each other (features, benefits, prices, etc.), so if there was another better choice, I'd appreciate knowing about it in advance. I *like* the idea of doubling the power to 56x. But as I'm using my binoculars, I'm quickly beginning to understand other issues, such as eye relief, could be a factor in my newbie quest to see Jupiter, Saturn, and perhaps the Crab Nebula.
I'm also a tad concerned about mounting this thing (but I confess I haven't yet read the entire PDF).
Thanks,
Tim
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senortim
member
Reged: 12/27/08
Posts: 21
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OK, I've just read the whole thing and re mounting, my concern is shake. With my 10x binoculars, there is so much shake that I can't easily see the Crab Nebula in Orion (though I can see its fuzziness). I'm thinking of ways to weight my tripod to reduce this jitter, but it will be way worse at 28x or 56x.
Anyone have thoughts about this?
Thanks!
Tim
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StarStuff1
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 04/01/07
Posts: 967
Loc: South of the Mason-Dixon Line
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Do you mean the Orion Nebula, M42? The Crab Nebula, M1, is in nearby Taurus and is not real easy in 10x binoculars unless held steady and viewing from a dark location. But you may be seeing M1 with younger eyes than mine.
A 51mm f/9.8 doublet decently made should be able to handle magnifications up to 56X and higher so your concerns about having a jittery mount are appropriate. A lot depends on the stability of your tripod. A 1/2 gallon jug of water suspended below the tripod spreaders will help quite a bit for stability.
You should plan on buying an eyepiece or 2. Keplerian eyepieces are not very good.
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Tools that make objects very far away appear much closer than they actually are.
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George N
professor emeritus
Reged: 05/19/06
Posts: 672
Loc: Binghamton & Indian Lake NY
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Quote:
It is probably too late now but I think the scope would serve its intended purposes better if it came with two eyepieces. A 25mm kellner eyepiece would give 20x. The brighter image with a wider field would be easier to use hand held. The second ep could be a -17mm double convex lens for 30x and a view more like what Galileo had.
On the Night Sky Network telcon a few weeks ago they mentioned that they may be able to include two eyepieces and the Barlow, plus the Galileo negative lens eyepiece, all for the basic price of 10 to 15 dollars, plus shipping. The eyepieces will be the Ramsden or Huygens design. The scope will have a quarter-twenty ‘standard photo tripod’ connector and will take 1.25-inch eyepieces. However, all of the final small details are still up in the air because they have not settled on a maker of the scope.
You have to remember what the goal of this scope is: To introduce people to what Galileo had available 400 years ago when he revolutionized astronomy and the other sciences. The scope will actually be better than Galileo’s, and closer to the scopes of a few years after his time. It will provide a million people with a working astronomical telescope kit (you have to make it) along with a ton of documentation and focused educational programs on the scope, what makes it work, and what Galileo achieved with a similar scope. I don’t think that the Galileoscope is intended to be a replacement for the current ‘beginner scopes’ aimed at people wanting to start in amateur observational astronomy. If 50,000 of those million people go on to learn more about astronomy, science in general, and perhaps the purchase of a scope like a small 4.25” Dob, the project will be well worth the investment in time and money.
Bottom line: Galileoscope is more an educational outreach program than a ‘give everyone a beginner scope’ project.
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George N
Obsession 20
Optical Guidance Systems 10" F/9 R-C Cass
6" F/5 & 8" F/8 home-made Newts
MI-250 mount
SBIG STL-1301E CCD
Member, International Dark-Sky Association
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George N
professor emeritus
Reged: 05/19/06
Posts: 672
Loc: Binghamton & Indian Lake NY
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Quote:
.....
A 51mm f/9.8 doublet decently made should be able to handle magnifications up to 56X and higher so your concerns about having a jittery mount are appropriate. A lot depends on the stability of your tripod. A 1/2 gallon jug of water suspended below the tripod spreaders will help quite a bit for stability.
You should plan on buying an eyepiece or 2. Keplerian eyepieces are not very good.
I have a tripod that I bought at NEAF that is made from three crutches with a central top platform with a central quarter-twenty stud and a bubble level. It has a large metal weight at the end of a chain that can be hung from the bottom of the top plate, with the height adjusted by which chain-link is used to put on the hook. When arranged so that some of the weight is supported by the ground, and some by the tripod, it adds considerable stability. The downside is that you have another “thing” (and a heavy one) to carry around. I’m sure that the solution of the support issue will add just another “educational opportunity”. To start with the users could use a beanbag.
There are lots of inexpensive 1.25” eyepieces available new or used that are not too bad. A year ago I bought a used pair of Rini 30mm Plossls for $50 total that I sometimes use in a bino-viewer. While far from perfect they are in fact surprisingly good. However, the ones provided with the Galileo scope will have one advantage: you have to put them together, so you learn about what goes in an eyepiece. If users want to try something better you can get one easily since the Galileoscope uses 1.25” eyepieces. I bet that a diagonal will be a popular optional purchase too.
I don’t see how you can get everything you guys want for ten bucks when you realize that you are also getting a ton of educational materials with the scope too. The Night Sky Network guys said that the true value of this scope would "normally" be around $80, but since they are getting a million of them, the price will be driven down to 10 to 15 dollars. More could be provided for more money, but that would put the scope out-of-reach in third world countries, where most of them are intended to go.
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George N
Obsession 20
Optical Guidance Systems 10" F/9 R-C Cass
6" F/5 & 8" F/8 home-made Newts
MI-250 mount
SBIG STL-1301E CCD
Member, International Dark-Sky Association
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senortim
member
Reged: 12/27/08
Posts: 21
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Thanks for the comments! I hear you that this will not be the perfect telescope forever. I honestly don't think anyone is expecting it to be so. But it's already proving -- for me at least -- to be a great entree into star gazing with more than just my eye. I really appreciate the basic info you all are sharing here! It's a real help.
And yes, I meant the Orion Nebula. Since I've never had a telescope, I've never bothered to know where these small or blurry things are. Even with my binoculars, I'm getting jazzed about knowing that I can see much more within the essential constellations, and photos in books are already making much more sense to me (who is a very visual thinker.)
BTW, I'll make a little plug for http://www.stellarium.org here. Free and quite wonderful, it has helped a lot in my effort to learn the constellations, a few star names, how things move through the night sky, and so on. And my 3.5 year old son loves seeing the planets -- especially zooming in and zooming out. And with the newest version, you can adjust the atmospheric light to compensate for light pollution (which is really bad in the Bay Area where I live -- -3.5 is about the limit for the unaided eye.)
Thanks again!
Tim
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StarStuff1
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 04/01/07
Posts: 967
Loc: South of the Mason-Dixon Line
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Yes, Stellarium is fantastic and the price is right! I hardly ever use the Sky software anymore.
Another use for the Galileoscope could easily be as a low cost guide scope. Just insert a high power cross hair ep.
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Tools that make objects very far away appear much closer than they actually are.
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senortim
member
Reged: 12/27/08
Posts: 21
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That's a cool idea. I'm assuming that guide scopes use a 1/4-20 mount? Or would an adapter be necessary? (Fantasizing out of my budget, here. But why not?)
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StarStuff1
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 04/01/07
Posts: 967
Loc: South of the Mason-Dixon Line
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Normally a guidescope is mounted in rings. There are adjustment screws to align the guide scope to the main scope for astrophotography.
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Tools that make objects very far away appear much closer than they actually are.
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richard7
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/02/07
Posts: 1540
Loc: Sacramento
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Here's The latest I could find.
At $12.50, a little more than they thought but still may be worth it.
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Richard Trost
Orion 130st, Ioptron e/r80
Meade 10x50, Konusvue 20x80, Zhumell Tachiyon 25x100
Coffee thermos and cup
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cajagow
newbie
Reged: 02/27/07
Posts: 2
Loc: Virginia
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I have sent numerous emails to the POCs at the international sites and the USA sites concerning this cornerstone project. Many clubs wish to use this as a "cornerstone" of their IYA events and time is wasting away. It is already FEBRUARY, the scope is not even at the ORDERING stage yet, the 100 hours of Astronomy is in APRIL the clock is TICKING if any of them are ready these boards!
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George N
professor emeritus
Reged: 05/19/06
Posts: 672
Loc: Binghamton & Indian Lake NY
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Quote:
I have sent numerous emails to the POCs at the international sites and the USA sites concerning this cornerstone project. Many clubs wish to use this as a "cornerstone" of their IYA events and time is wasting away. It is already FEBRUARY, the scope is not even at the ORDERING stage yet, the 100 hours of Astronomy is in APRIL the clock is TICKING if any of them are ready these boards!
Well Galileoscope is a separate “Cornerstone Project” from “100 hours”. I agree that time is running away, but my guess has always been that these scopes are something you should expect to start using in the fall of 2009.
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George N
Obsession 20
Optical Guidance Systems 10" F/9 R-C Cass
6" F/5 & 8" F/8 home-made Newts
MI-250 mount
SBIG STL-1301E CCD
Member, International Dark-Sky Association
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George N
professor emeritus
Reged: 05/19/06
Posts: 672
Loc: Binghamton & Indian Lake NY
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Quote:
......
At $12.50, a little more than they thought but still may be worth it.
Well they really always said “between $10 and $15”, not the often quoted $10, so maybe the author of the article is just “estimating” $12.50?
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George N
Obsession 20
Optical Guidance Systems 10" F/9 R-C Cass
6" F/5 & 8" F/8 home-made Newts
MI-250 mount
SBIG STL-1301E CCD
Member, International Dark-Sky Association
|
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