Remember the first time someone handed you a kaleidoscope and
invited you to look inside? You may have heard a rattling in the
far end of the brightly-colored cardboard tube as you lifted it
to your eye like a spyglass. Perhaps you were skeptical, but
when you peered in, you were amazed by the burst of color and
intricate design at the other end. No matter how long you played
with that fascinating device, or how many times you turned or
shook the end, you never saw the exact same pattern twice.
Generations of people over the past two centuries have shared
this experience, but none have ever viewed identical images.
Perhaps it's part of the appeal of the kaleidoscope that such a
low-tech device can create a never-ending array of beautiful --
sometimes breathtaking -- art. But the art lasts only a few
moments before it's replaced by the next amazing image. The word
kaleidoscope comes from Greek words meaning "beautiful form to
see." Some are so beautiful and rare that they've become prized
as collectable object