Re-creating  museum quality telescopes from both of Galileo's  original telescopes (IMSS2427 and IMSS2428)  which are at IMSS Florence Italy. We have made a number of them for major museums and educational institutions.  May we make these wonderful telescope for you? 
We also show on this web page in detail a simple but beautiful Galilean Telescope we built  for the  TV Science Channel TV Project
Brilliant Minds: Secrets of the Cosmos
 
**** Rhoda and Jim, the authors of these web sites, wish to thank the staff of IMSS in Florence Italy,  very much,  for all their important help on this project . Make sure you visit the IMSS on your next  visit to  Europe  It has  Galileo's  original telescopes and examples of the  first  electric measuring instruments  that  gave  birth to our modern optical and electric telescopic view of  our universe. All of the exhibits are very  important technically in addition they are  worth visiting as very beautiful  and creative works of art.

Antiques of Science & Technology              Jim & Rhoda Morris      781 245 2897    Galileo@comcast.net

Last edited 08/19/2008 Hit Counter
After visiting and enjoying this web-site  and it description of a cute easy to build Galilean instrument. with personalized decorations.

Click here   where we show you the details about our measurement of the original telescopes, and re- creating very accurately, both of Galileo's  surviving telescopes, on display at IMSS in Florence Italy.  There is over 60 pages of notes and data etc some jumbled some not, that can  be mined for your use. It has been a big project for us to serve you.

IMSS #2427  the development telescope technically probably the most important of the two.

IMSS #2428 the most, by far,  beautiful leather covered gilded  telescope  that Galileo used for marketing purposes. It still is admiralty playing this role. Our replicas are helping out to do this also. in addition to teaching science. and about science.

We are very proud to have made them for major education institutions in the U.S. and abroad. Below is a brief list of those that have them.

"IMSS"  Institute and Museum of the History of Science, the home of the originals at Florence Italy, 

Griffith Observatory in California

Adler Planetarium  in Chicago Ill.

Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum  in Austin, Texas.

Huntington Library and Art Collections,  in San Marino, CA

More soon will be on display in the U.S. and  in Beijing  China 

May we make these wonderful telescope for you? 
Please Call us at 781 245 2897 e-mail us at Galileo@comcast.net.

Below one of our precise replica's  on display at  Griffith Observatory.
You have probably have seen  many photos of this display on the  Web-1 ,  Web-2 , We-3 , Web-4 , Web-5, Web-6 , WEb-7, ,Web-8, etc. etc.. We have encouraged Griffith to pull out a few inches the objective and eyepiece tubes to show more of the beautiful decorations that are not now visible.(


Click on the photo above for a much larger image

Below  is the construction details of our  low cost Galilean telescope that we made as a prop for the TV program Brilliant Minds: Secrets of the Cosmos

One can easily make this one with personalize style decorations.
The photo below is one we took while on the set from one of the scenes for the movie

Below are the details of making a very  fast and rough replica.  We used one for a TV prop. The general principals of making a crude replica are described on this web page. If you build one take the time to  personalize yours with you own art work.
As a warning to those who intend to make  replicas of Galileo's telescopes much of the literature we looked at gave us only rough details some very wrong for both telescopes and the lens used by
Galileo for a number his investigations of the moons of Jupiter 1610. We had to visited the originals in Florence Italy a number of times to make accurate measurements for our museum grade replicas. We wish to thank the staff of IMSS in Florence Italy  very much,  for all their help. Make sure you visit the IMSS on your next  visit Italy


 
Below
The roughed out replica telescope tube with the optics was  made from  cloth stores cardboard tubes.  
 Creating a realistic deco covering for the scope for the least amount of money was a challenge.
 
 
 
Below the   search   for  cheap replica leather and gilt deco telescope covering. Note all the deco bands.
 
We used an HP7840 computer,  Adobe Photoshop, and a banner printing Epson600 banner ink jet printer.
The printing was done on an embossed water color paper from the local art supply house.
 
Below the final draft of the art deco for the body of the telescope.
$1.50 worth of embossed water color paper,
$1.23 for  inkjet ink for acid free paper,
 $02 glue,
and $1.25 varnish.
 
 
Since the telescope was not going to be used in a close in camera shot and we wanted to save the project money
 and time we took a standard  deco pattern.
How it looks on the set in the hands of the actor.

The telescope had the same optics as Galileo's. It has a very small field of view and was very hard to keep it steady. It was a wonder  that Galileo could  have convinced anyone looking through his telescope that there were moons spinning around Jupiter.

Click here to see  an inclined plane we have built similar one to Galileo might have used to study the laws of falling bodies.

Click here Galileo Pendulum Mistake   Building  A  Brachistochrone

Copyright Jim & Rhoda Morris 2005 

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