Created as a cornerstone project for the 2009 International Year of Astronomy as a modern take on Galileo's original design, the latest iteration of the 50mm Refractor Galileoscope STEM Telescope Kit is made by Explore Scientific to give curious minds of every age the ability to build their own telescope, eyepiece, and accessories—and at the end have a functional telescope for exploring the night sky.
This complete kit includes all the parts and pieces that comprise a telescope, including the optical tube assembly, focuser, eyepieces, and other accessories. Detailed instructions walk you through the procedure. When you're done, you have a functional 50mm objective and 500mm focal length refractor that, when combined with the included eyepiece and Barlow lens, produces 25x and 50x magnifications. A 1/4"-20 nut on the bottom allows you to mount the telescope on just about any photo/video/field tripod for easy astronomical use to view the moon, Jupiter and its moon, and the rings of Saturn. The kit is augmented with free, standards-based optics education and observing activities, available in multiple languages.