In 1609 Galileo Galilei perfected the telescope that had been invented in Holland the year before and pointed it at the night sky. His discoveries - craters on the Moon, the phases of Venus, the moons around Jupiter - were a scientific sensation and established a new understanding of astronomy that still shapes our world view even today. So on the 400th anniversary UNESCO declared 2009 the International Year of Astronomy.
This historically accurate cardboard replica lets you immediately experience the great research achievements of Galileo for yourself, despite the modest optical performance of this telescope by today's standards.
This kit telescope corresponds in size and optical properties to the telescopes of that time and is based on the only surviving telescope that can be attributed to Galileo with certainty: the oldest telescope in the world - a leather-trimmed example decorated with gold embossed splendour for Cosimo II de 'Medici, which is today exhibited in Florence.
The kit is stamped from sheets of cardboard, with 4-colour printing plus gold, complete with glass lenses for 12X magnification and a wall or table mount. Length: 78 cm.
