The telescope creates an optical fantasy in a tube polarizing, refracting, and reflecting light. There is no colored glass in the microscope, only the spectral colors of light itself. Ordinary white light, which vibrates in all directions is polarized along one plane when it passes through the base of the tube. The light then enters clear, colorless pieces of Fire fringe material, and is re-organized by the IP to produce the startling colors that you see. The patterns, unlike those in a kaleidoscope, are asymmetrical. Hold the telescope toward the light, rotate the base, and the image changes. A twist of the eyepiece alters the colors of the image and causes the pattern to swirl to or from the eye. The spectrum also shifts as the telescope is pointed towards different light sources.
Dimensions of the kaleidoscope are approx 11 1/4 by 2 1/16 inches in diameter. The pink protective tubing measures approx 11 3/4 inches long by 2 1/4 inches in diameter. Exterior is a cardboard tube.