---
product_id: 5157564
title: "Arbor Scientific Galileoscope Kit - Beginner Telescope for Astronomy Enthusiasts, Adults & Older Children - 50mm Aperture, 25:1 to 50:1 Zoom Ratio, Manual Focus, Altazimuth Mount"
brand: "arbor scientific"
price: "R2439"
currency: ZAR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 8
url: https://www.desertcart.co.za/products/5157564-arbor-scientific-galileoscope-kit-beginner-telescope-for-astronomy-enthusiasts-adults
store_origin: ZA
region: South Africa
---

# 25x to 50x zoom for detailed observation 50mm aperture for crisp views Manual focus with versatile 1.25" eyepiece holder Arbor Scientific Galileoscope Kit - Beginner Telescope for Astronomy Enthusiasts, Adults & Older Children - 50mm Aperture, 25:1 to 50:1 Zoom Ratio, Manual Focus, Altazimuth Mount

**Brand:** arbor scientific
**Price:** R2439
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Summary

> 🌌 DIY Your Way to the Stars — Build, Explore, Belong!

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Arbor Scientific Galileoscope Kit - Beginner Telescope for Astronomy Enthusiasts, Adults & Older Children - 50mm Aperture, 25:1 to 50:1 Zoom Ratio, Manual Focus, Altazimuth Mount by arbor scientific
- **How much does it cost?** R2439 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.za](https://www.desertcart.co.za/products/5157564-arbor-scientific-galileoscope-kit-beginner-telescope-for-astronomy-enthusiasts-adults)

## Best For

- arbor scientific enthusiasts

## Why This Product

- Trusted arbor scientific brand quality
- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Key Features

- • **Educational & Engaging:** Includes free observing guides and activities to deepen your understanding of astronomy and optics.
- • **Customizable & Expandable:** 1.25" focuser accepts a wide range of eyepieces and barlow lenses to tailor your stargazing experience.
- • **Explore the Cosmos Like a Pioneer:** Experience 400 years of astronomical innovation with a DIY telescope kit inspired by Galileo himself.
- • **Precision Optics for Stunning Views:** 50mm aperture and up to 50x magnification reveal lunar craters, Jupiter’s moons, and Saturn’s rings in vivid detail.
- • **Compact, Portable & Easy to Assemble:** Tool-free assembly and a base compatible with most tripods make setup a breeze—take your telescope anywhere.

## Overview

The Arbor Scientific Galileoscope Kit is a beginner-friendly, high-quality telescope designed for adults and older children. Featuring a 50mm aperture and 25x to 50x magnification, it offers clear views of celestial bodies like the Moon, Jupiter’s moons, and Saturn’s rings. Developed by astronomers and educators, this easy-to-assemble kit includes a manual focus system and a 1.25" eyepiece holder compatible with various lenses. Perfect for hands-on learning and inspired by Galileo’s original discoveries, it’s an ideal tool for astronomy enthusiasts seeking both education and exploration.

## Description

The Galileoscope is 400 years of product development in the making - this high-quality telescope kit was developed by leading astronomers, optical engineers, and science educators to showcase how early astronomers made their discoveries. Once assembled, the telescope will offer views of lunar craters and mountains, four moons circling Jupiter, the phases of Venus, Saturns rings, and countless stars invisible to the unaided eye. The 50mm diameter telescope offers 25X to 50X magnification. The kit is easy-to-assemble and includes standard components such as a base that fits most tripods and a 1.25 focuser that accepts a wide variety of optional additional eyepieces. Educational activities and observing guides for use with your Galileoscope are available for free at www.TeachingWithTelescopes.org. WARNING: Use with adult supervision only. WARNING: Do not look at the Sun with the Galileoscope; severe eye damage will occur.

Review: Surprisingly good - The Galileoscope is easy to assemble with no tools required. I was very pleased with the quality of the design, manufacturing and the optics. With the included 20mm eyepiece, the telescope provides nice 25x views of the Moon, and you can see Jupiter's moons (not that hard to do -- almost any pair of binoculars will show them) but also, if conditions are dark and clear, the faintest hint of banding on the planet's disk. You can clearly see Saturn's rings, though it's very tiny! If you have a barlow lens, use it! The one included with the telescope works better than nothing and is a good match for the general quality of the telescope. The drawtube focusing works fine for me. You can pull or push for coarse focus and twist it for very fine focus. I don't find it much more difficult to focus than a conventional rack-and-pinion focuser and I'm entirely satisfied with it. In lieu of a finderscope, the telescope is sighted like a rifle using sights along the top of the barrel. These work fine. I've considered putting some dots of glow-in-the-dark paint to help see the sights in the dark, but so far it's really not been an issue. There always seems to be enough ambient light to do the job, and I appreciate the utter simplicity of the design. The included tripod-nut works perfectly with my heavy-duty tripod; I put an extra quick-release base on the telescope, and now the telescope just rests on a top shelf on its included little stand (two simple blocks with wide "V"s cut into the top.) When I want to use it, I just clip the telescope on the tripod and go outside! When I'm done, the scope goes back up on the shelf and the tripod folds up and goes back into the closet. Much less space required than a fully equipped refractor with an equatorial mount tripod and all that. Of course, the lack of an included tripod could also make things tricky. I experimented with various ways of supporting the telescope, and part of the fun of the instrument is that it lends itself to such experimentation. Galileo himself evidently slung his scope on a ribbon and hung it from a simple stand (look it up for yourself.) I tried this and it works okay with the low power, but obviously has a lot of motion whenever you touch the telescope. Galileo revolutionized astronomy with this kind of set up -- what do you mean it's not good enough for you ;-) ? You can also fashion a workable support from a cardboard box, or make something in the shop if you are handy. I thought those were all fun to do with the telescope, and if you had no access to a tripod, you could still observe with something like this, albeit less conveniently. I've settled on a heavy-duty Manfrotto tripod that I already own, and it works great that way too, and much easier to assemble, use, and store. I have several eyepieces from another telescope I own, and I recommend you get some to go with this scope. The included 20mm eyepiece yields 25x. I have also use a 16mm eyepiece, yielding about 32x, and a 9.8mm yielding about 50x. Just to see what the scope is capable of, I loaded the 50x eyepiece into a 2.5x barlow lens, yielding about 125x, the theoretical max for the 50mm objective of this telescope. I was very pleased -- I saw no color diffraction at all. The Moon moves very quickly at 125x, though, so you'll need a tripod that can keep up! But I find the best view overall is probably with the 16mm eyepiece at about 32x (a Meade Series III Plossl) It's noticeably clearer than the included 25x eyepiece, and will show Saturn's rings, bands on Jupiter, and impressive views of the moon. If you get this telescope and decide to keep it, I strongly recommend adding another good quality eyepiece or two. I have also a 28mm eyepice (18x) to get a "wide field" view -- this is a nice way to look at the Orion nebula, Praesepe, the Pleaides and big stuff like that . They look great through this scope. The scope comes with an 18x "Galilean" eyepiece, which I've found to be useless as an eyepiece other than to show how tough it must have been for Galileo to see anything! I guess it's part of what makes it a "Galileoscope". Very cleverly, though, the scope also comes with a small tube that lets you turn this eyepiece into a 2x barlow lens. This lets you get bigger, though dimmer, views using the 20mm/25x eyepiece (included) or any other eyepiece. The biggest design issue is there is no star diagonal, so you have to really crane your head back to look at things overhead. And you have to find a way to cram yourself under the tripod. If you are a Yoga master, you'll have no trouble, but otherwise, it's the same problem you have with binoculars. On the other hand, there are lots of things to see in the sky at any given time, so it's not like you always have to look straight up. The telescope is entirely useful just as it is. If you already have a star diagonal, you may be able to use it if you also use a barlow at the same time. Either the Galileoscope barlow that comes with the scope or one of your own may work. The barlow is need to adjust the focusing range of the telescope -- as built, there is not enough "in focus" travel to make use of the star diagonal; with the barlow, I was able to get it to work. Note the inner diameter of the Galileoscope barlow was a smidge too narrow for standard 1.25" eyepieces, though it fit the included eyepiece. A few minutes' work with some sandpaper increased the inner diameter enough to get a snug but acceptable fit. The biggest drawback is the price, which is why I show four stars instead of five. Given that you can buy a 60mm refractor for a few dollars more, that will come with a tripod, star diagonal, and maybe a few other freebies, this really needs to be less expensive. The Galileoscope has a great "fun" factor, and the experience of actually building the scope yourself is certainly of educational value, but it's hard to recommend the scope at this price point, when other good-quality scopes are just a few dollars more. If you are only going to have only one telescope, and you can afford the Galileoscope, you can afford a more complete system that will be easier to use. At this price, I see this as a niche product where the value comes from the "do it yourself" aspect more than the quality of the scope (and it is good quality.) It would be terrific for teaching about optics and as an introduction to history and science via Galileo Galilei. As a standalone telescope product, though, I find it is overpriced. At 3/4 of its current price (I paid $50), it would be competitive as a good "only" scope. I am pleased with it because I already have another telescope and this one is fun to play with, and I really didn't want another tripod to have to store and all that, but it's really hard to justify the higher cost in the long run. Pricing aside, my hat is off to the fine team of folks who conceived of, designed, and manufacture this telescope. It's a terrific idea that I think works just as intended. I've enjoyed playing with and observing with it. If the DIY factor appeals to you, or if you have an interest in history, I think you'll find this an enjoyable project that yields a very functional and good-quality telescope when you are done. ADDENDUM 4/29/2013: A word of caution. Yesterday I used the Galileoscope to do eyepiece projection solar observation -- you project the image of the sun onto a piece of paper using the telescope. This is how Galileo made his famous sunspot drawings. I monkeyed around with the set up for at least half an hour, trying different things. At the end of the session, I found I had melted the field stop ring inside the 25mm eyepiece! The lenses seemed to be fine, but the inside edges of the ring were melted. So, if you use it this way (and it's the only safe way to observe the sun, other than buying an expensive solar filter)limit your sessions to a few minutes at a time!
Review: I've not put it together yet. - However I've watched the video and see no problem with putting it together. When my daughter finishes with my tripod then I'll look at puting it together with the (anchor) tripod assembly piece thingy. You got it. That my daughter is using to attach her camera to my tripod. I think the concept behind this product is fantastic. Indeed what better way to get an idea how Galileo Galilei ventured forth.

## Features

- This high-quality telescope kit was developed by leading astronomers, optical engineers, and science educators to showcase how early astronomers made their discoveries.
- The 50mm diameter telescope offers 25X to 50X magnification.
- Includes standard components such as a base that fits most tripods and a 1.25 focuser that accepts a wide variety of optional additional eyepieces
- WARNING: Use with adult supervision only.
- WARNING: Do not look at the Sun with the Galileoscope; severe eye damage will occur.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Customer Reviews | 3.7 out of 5 stars 24 Reviews |

## Product Details

- **Brand:** Arbor Scientific
- **Eye Piece Lens Description:** Barlow
- **Objective Lens Diameter:** 50 Millimeters
- **Telescope Mount Description:** Altazimuth Mount
- **Focus Type:** Manual Focus
- **Power Source:** Manual Operation
- **Finderscope:** Reflex
- **Item Weight:** 2.15 Pounds
- **Compatible Devices:** Tripod, Altazimuth Mount
- **Exit Pupil:** 1 Millimeters

## Images

![Arbor Scientific Galileoscope Kit - Beginner Telescope for Astronomy Enthusiasts, Adults & Older Children - 50mm Aperture, 25:1 to 50:1 Zoom Ratio, Manual Focus, Altazimuth Mount - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71KyzXXBgZL.jpg)
![Arbor Scientific Galileoscope Kit - Beginner Telescope for Astronomy Enthusiasts, Adults & Older Children - 50mm Aperture, 25:1 to 50:1 Zoom Ratio, Manual Focus, Altazimuth Mount - Image 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71NDeOMnk2L.jpg)
![Arbor Scientific Galileoscope Kit - Beginner Telescope for Astronomy Enthusiasts, Adults & Older Children - 50mm Aperture, 25:1 to 50:1 Zoom Ratio, Manual Focus, Altazimuth Mount - Image 3](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71PwIe5vB0L.jpg)
![Arbor Scientific Galileoscope Kit - Beginner Telescope for Astronomy Enthusiasts, Adults & Older Children - 50mm Aperture, 25:1 to 50:1 Zoom Ratio, Manual Focus, Altazimuth Mount - Image 4](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61vFHo6AgML.jpg)
![Arbor Scientific Galileoscope Kit - Beginner Telescope for Astronomy Enthusiasts, Adults & Older Children - 50mm Aperture, 25:1 to 50:1 Zoom Ratio, Manual Focus, Altazimuth Mount - Image 5](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61P0PO6bUAL.jpg)

## Questions & Answers

**Q: Will it mount to a standard tripod?**
A: Yes,  it will mount to a standard tripod.  There is a 1/4-20 nut on the bottom.

**Q: What age is this appropriate for?**
A: I teach science to ages 4-9, with a major astronomy unit with 8 year olds, third graders.  I built my GalileoScope about a year ago. A dextrous 8-9 year old could do this with some significant help from a dextrous adult.  It WAS fun to assemble.  Given that the barrel comes in two pieces, and is held together with sturdy o-rings, after a bit of use I chose to use packing tape to reinforce it.  For its price, the optics are good.  I can see moons of Jupiter, rings of Saturn, though they are so small, it was underwhelming.  My only concern is that focusing is accomplished with a sliding motion, a bit difficult to hone in on that point of sharpest focus. AND, as with all scopes, a tripod is essential, and my inexpensive photo tripod only a little better than nothing.See here for more - http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A16ARAN5KQ1AVS/ref=pdp_new_read_full_review_link?ie=UTF8&page=1&sort_by=MostRecentReview#R36EKJ4WT22W1S

**Q: Does anywhere sell replacement parts, especially the eyepiece lenses?**
A: Replacement parts are not current being offered on Amazon.

**Q: Will this tripodwork ? https://www.amazon.com/amazonbasics-60-inch-lightweight-tripod-bag/dp/b005kp473q/ref=pd_sim_328_9?_encoding=utf8&pd_rd_i=b005kp**
A: Hi Ingrid,  The following is from the magazine Sky & Telescope: "...How good is the Galileoscope? This little 25x50 scope has very good optics, but no 50-mm scope can match the performance of our favorite $100 3-inch reflector, the cheapest scope that we've ever recommended before. On the other hand, it's far better than Galileo's own scope - and look how much he accomplished with that!The scope's biggest limitation is that it has no mount, so you will either have to attach it to a good photo tripod or jury-rig your own mount. That's harder than it might be, because the scope lacks the 90-degree diagonal supplied with most refractors. The straight-through viewing angle requres that the scope be mounted higher than your head..."

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Surprisingly good
*by A***R on April 18, 2013*

The Galileoscope is easy to assemble with no tools required. I was very pleased with the quality of the design, manufacturing and the optics. With the included 20mm eyepiece, the telescope provides nice 25x views of the Moon, and you can see Jupiter's moons (not that hard to do -- almost any pair of binoculars will show them) but also, if conditions are dark and clear, the faintest hint of banding on the planet's disk. You can clearly see Saturn's rings, though it's very tiny! If you have a barlow lens, use it! The one included with the telescope works better than nothing and is a good match for the general quality of the telescope. The drawtube focusing works fine for me. You can pull or push for coarse focus and twist it for very fine focus. I don't find it much more difficult to focus than a conventional rack-and-pinion focuser and I'm entirely satisfied with it. In lieu of a finderscope, the telescope is sighted like a rifle using sights along the top of the barrel. These work fine. I've considered putting some dots of glow-in-the-dark paint to help see the sights in the dark, but so far it's really not been an issue. There always seems to be enough ambient light to do the job, and I appreciate the utter simplicity of the design. The included tripod-nut works perfectly with my heavy-duty tripod; I put an extra quick-release base on the telescope, and now the telescope just rests on a top shelf on its included little stand (two simple blocks with wide "V"s cut into the top.) When I want to use it, I just clip the telescope on the tripod and go outside! When I'm done, the scope goes back up on the shelf and the tripod folds up and goes back into the closet. Much less space required than a fully equipped refractor with an equatorial mount tripod and all that. Of course, the lack of an included tripod could also make things tricky. I experimented with various ways of supporting the telescope, and part of the fun of the instrument is that it lends itself to such experimentation. Galileo himself evidently slung his scope on a ribbon and hung it from a simple stand (look it up for yourself.) I tried this and it works okay with the low power, but obviously has a lot of motion whenever you touch the telescope. Galileo revolutionized astronomy with this kind of set up -- what do you mean it's not good enough for you ;-) ? You can also fashion a workable support from a cardboard box, or make something in the shop if you are handy. I thought those were all fun to do with the telescope, and if you had no access to a tripod, you could still observe with something like this, albeit less conveniently. I've settled on a heavy-duty Manfrotto tripod that I already own, and it works great that way too, and much easier to assemble, use, and store. I have several eyepieces from another telescope I own, and I recommend you get some to go with this scope. The included 20mm eyepiece yields 25x. I have also use a 16mm eyepiece, yielding about 32x, and a 9.8mm yielding about 50x. Just to see what the scope is capable of, I loaded the 50x eyepiece into a 2.5x barlow lens, yielding about 125x, the theoretical max for the 50mm objective of this telescope. I was very pleased -- I saw no color diffraction at all. The Moon moves very quickly at 125x, though, so you'll need a tripod that can keep up! But I find the best view overall is probably with the 16mm eyepiece at about 32x (a Meade Series III Plossl) It's noticeably clearer than the included 25x eyepiece, and will show Saturn's rings, bands on Jupiter, and impressive views of the moon. If you get this telescope and decide to keep it, I strongly recommend adding another good quality eyepiece or two. I have also a 28mm eyepice (18x) to get a "wide field" view -- this is a nice way to look at the Orion nebula, Praesepe, the Pleaides and big stuff like that . They look great through this scope. The scope comes with an 18x "Galilean" eyepiece, which I've found to be useless as an eyepiece other than to show how tough it must have been for Galileo to see anything! I guess it's part of what makes it a "Galileoscope". Very cleverly, though, the scope also comes with a small tube that lets you turn this eyepiece into a 2x barlow lens. This lets you get bigger, though dimmer, views using the 20mm/25x eyepiece (included) or any other eyepiece. The biggest design issue is there is no star diagonal, so you have to really crane your head back to look at things overhead. And you have to find a way to cram yourself under the tripod. If you are a Yoga master, you'll have no trouble, but otherwise, it's the same problem you have with binoculars. On the other hand, there are lots of things to see in the sky at any given time, so it's not like you always have to look straight up. The telescope is entirely useful just as it is. If you already have a star diagonal, you may be able to use it if you also use a barlow at the same time. Either the Galileoscope barlow that comes with the scope or one of your own may work. The barlow is need to adjust the focusing range of the telescope -- as built, there is not enough "in focus" travel to make use of the star diagonal; with the barlow, I was able to get it to work. Note the inner diameter of the Galileoscope barlow was a smidge too narrow for standard 1.25" eyepieces, though it fit the included eyepiece. A few minutes' work with some sandpaper increased the inner diameter enough to get a snug but acceptable fit. The biggest drawback is the price, which is why I show four stars instead of five. Given that you can buy a 60mm refractor for a few dollars more, that will come with a tripod, star diagonal, and maybe a few other freebies, this really needs to be less expensive. The Galileoscope has a great "fun" factor, and the experience of actually building the scope yourself is certainly of educational value, but it's hard to recommend the scope at this price point, when other good-quality scopes are just a few dollars more. If you are only going to have only one telescope, and you can afford the Galileoscope, you can afford a more complete system that will be easier to use. At this price, I see this as a niche product where the value comes from the "do it yourself" aspect more than the quality of the scope (and it is good quality.) It would be terrific for teaching about optics and as an introduction to history and science via Galileo Galilei. As a standalone telescope product, though, I find it is overpriced. At 3/4 of its current price (I paid $50), it would be competitive as a good "only" scope. I am pleased with it because I already have another telescope and this one is fun to play with, and I really didn't want another tripod to have to store and all that, but it's really hard to justify the higher cost in the long run. Pricing aside, my hat is off to the fine team of folks who conceived of, designed, and manufacture this telescope. It's a terrific idea that I think works just as intended. I've enjoyed playing with and observing with it. If the DIY factor appeals to you, or if you have an interest in history, I think you'll find this an enjoyable project that yields a very functional and good-quality telescope when you are done. ADDENDUM 4/29/2013: A word of caution. Yesterday I used the Galileoscope to do eyepiece projection solar observation -- you project the image of the sun onto a piece of paper using the telescope. This is how Galileo made his famous sunspot drawings. I monkeyed around with the set up for at least half an hour, trying different things. At the end of the session, I found I had melted the field stop ring inside the 25mm eyepiece! The lenses seemed to be fine, but the inside edges of the ring were melted. So, if you use it this way (and it's the only safe way to observe the sun, other than buying an expensive solar filter)limit your sessions to a few minutes at a time!

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I've not put it together yet.
*by J***T on December 24, 2013*

However I've watched the video and see no problem with putting it together. When my daughter finishes with my tripod then I'll look at puting it together with the (anchor) tripod assembly piece thingy. You got it. That my daughter is using to attach her camera to my tripod. I think the concept behind this product is fantastic. Indeed what better way to get an idea how Galileo Galilei ventured forth.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Well thought out design. Inexpensive, fun to assemble, much more enjoyable with a tripod.
*by P***X on January 12, 2014*

As a PK-4th grade science lab teacher, I'm always looking for a better elementary-aged scope. Using one eyepiece you have the same view that Galileo was able to see, a good history lesson to see how he accomplished so much with such a simple tool. And you get considerably more magnification using the other eyepiece with the Barlow lens. Assembly is fun, but will take much more than 5 minutes listed in product description. It took me 30 minutes proceeding at a dextrous 3rd or 4th graders pace, perhaps with a bit of adult help. It is possible to assemble and disassemble multiple times. However, the 500 cm body tube is formed from two pieces held together in four places. Contrary to what the directions say, the 2 O-rings should not be considered optional! If I planned to assemble it once, only, I would use clear package sealing tape along the seams of the body tube. This would make it more rigid, and over the long run keep out more dust. A tripod will make viewing much more pleasurable. At the very least, even a steady-handed person will want to lean against something. Just imagine Captain Aubrey scoping out his enemy, feet firmly planted on his ship's rolling deck!

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*Last updated: 2026-10-19*