Building Galileo's Telescope for the TV Science Channel TV
Project
Brilliant Minds: Secrets of the Cosmos
Antiques of Science & Technology
Jim &
Rhoda Morris
781 245 2897 k1ugm@comcast.net
Click here to visit our museum grade
replication of this telescope
for IMSS Florence Italy and Griffith Observatory California.
see detailed photos of the original Galileo's Telescope.
Below are the details of making a very fast
and rough replica that we used for a TV prop. It was made before our
visit to the original in Florence Italy.
The general principals of making a crude replica described below are
useful but we
suggest that a much better match to the
arc work be made .
The internet gave us a pictures
and details of the first two telescopes and the lens used by
Galileo when he found the moons of
Jupiter 1510--11.
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.
Copyright Jim & Rhoda Morris 2005
