In 1609, the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei turned a telescope towards the heavens and recorded the first detailed observations of the sky with the new device. In honor of the 400th anniversary of the first astronomical observations with a telescope, the United Nations has declared 2009 to be the International Year of Astronomy (IYA).

As part of IYA, a group of astronomical and educational organizations have sponsored the production of a low-cost telescope kit. Called the Galileoscope, the telescope has an aperture of 50mm (2 inches) and a supplied eyepiece that provides a magnification of 25. The telescope assembled from the kit is an excellent choice for amateur astronomers and is higher in quality than department store telescopes costing four or five times more. More information on the telescope can be found at www.galileoscope.org.

We have a limited supply of Galiloscopes available in the planetarium’s Gift Shop for $20. Our Gift Shop is open at each public show or call the planetarium (650-5486) to make an appointment.

-- Gregg Williams, Planetarium Director