Galileo Galilei
05-24-2009, 09:34 AM
Learn a little about Galileo
Without a doubt Galileo Galilei changed our world and the view of how our world fit into the cosmic scheme. Galileo wasn't the first person to suggest Earth and the rest of the planets circled the sun, known more formally as the heliocentric theory, but he certainly proved it was true.
All it took was a small, narrow tube with a couple of ground lenses, patient and persistent observations, and a lot of guts. It was 400 years ago that Galileo turned his telescope skyward and the geocentric theory that the Earth was the center of the universe became an endangered species. Galileo was born on February 15, 1564, in Pisa, Italy, the oldest of seven children. Galileo attended the University of Pisa and graduated with a degree in mathematics. In 1592 he became a professor of geometry, astronomy and mechanics at the University of Padua.
At the age of 45, he traveled to Venice where he heard of the discovery of an optical device that permitted one to see distant objects. Hans Lipperhey, a Dutchman, was said to have invented the telescope in 1608 although there is some contention about that. Galileo was kicking himself because he honestly had the idea to invent a telescope years earlier.
Right away his wheels started turning fast. He realized the tremendous military usefulness of a telescope. You could see ships approaching in the distance that you couldn't see with the naked eye. As it turned out,
Lipperhey had the same idea and had an appointment with the doge of Venice to sell the Venetian leadership on the value of the telescope.
Luckily Galileo had a buddy who worked in the doge's office who suspended all of the doge's appointments indefinitely. That allowed Galileo to scramble back to his workshop in Padua, where in August of 1609 he independently reinvented the telescope using many combinations of lenses.
Galileo rushed back to Venice, got an audience with the doge and demonstrated his telescope to the government and military brass.
In the autumn of 1609 Galileo observed the moon through his 20 to 30 power telescope and determined it had craters and mountains. It wasn't a perfectly smooth heavenly body as was believed at the time.
Even though he was Catholic he believed that the sun and not Earth was the center of what was then thought of as the universe.
He spent long hours observing the moons of Jupiter circling the planet, the phases of Venus and sunspots on the "perfect sun." He saw that countless stars make up the Milky Way. He observed that Saturn had ears. Unfortunately his telescope wasn't sharp enough to resolve the ring system.
It was his long hours of watching Jupiter's moons and Venus' phases that lead him to conclude that the Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, who died shortly before Galileo was born, was absolutely correct in proposing that Earth was orbiting the sun.
It was a very dangerous time to take on the Italian government and the Catholic Church. The church fervently believed in an Earth centered universe and any other thinking was considered extreme heresy.
When Galileo published his findings in "Dialogue on the Two World Systems" released in 1632 he was arrested and put on trial in 1633. It's said he recanted, but he was convicted of heresy and kept under house arrest until his death in 1642.
Pope John Paul II exonerated Galileo in 1992 and in fact honored him. The pope in so many words said that the Bible is a book about how to get to heaven and not how the heavens go.
Last year I was fortunate enough to visit the Museum of Science in Florence and to see two of Galileo's early telescopes. It was an absolutely magic moment in my life seeing those telescopes in the glass case. I felt very close to absolute greatness.
Mike Lynch is an amateur astronomer and professional broadcast meteorologist for WCCO Radio in Minneapolis and is author of the book, "Washington Starwatch," available at bookstores and at his Web site, www.lynchandthestars.com.
The Everett Astronomical Society welcomes new members at www.everettastro.org.
READER COMMENTS
Be the first to comment.
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20090524/LIVING/705249932
Without a doubt Galileo Galilei changed our world and the view of how our world fit into the cosmic scheme. Galileo wasn't the first person to suggest Earth and the rest of the planets circled the sun, known more formally as the heliocentric theory, but he certainly proved it was true.
All it took was a small, narrow tube with a couple of ground lenses, patient and persistent observations, and a lot of guts. It was 400 years ago that Galileo turned his telescope skyward and the geocentric theory that the Earth was the center of the universe became an endangered species. Galileo was born on February 15, 1564, in Pisa, Italy, the oldest of seven children. Galileo attended the University of Pisa and graduated with a degree in mathematics. In 1592 he became a professor of geometry, astronomy and mechanics at the University of Padua.
At the age of 45, he traveled to Venice where he heard of the discovery of an optical device that permitted one to see distant objects. Hans Lipperhey, a Dutchman, was said to have invented the telescope in 1608 although there is some contention about that. Galileo was kicking himself because he honestly had the idea to invent a telescope years earlier.
Right away his wheels started turning fast. He realized the tremendous military usefulness of a telescope. You could see ships approaching in the distance that you couldn't see with the naked eye. As it turned out,
Lipperhey had the same idea and had an appointment with the doge of Venice to sell the Venetian leadership on the value of the telescope.
Luckily Galileo had a buddy who worked in the doge's office who suspended all of the doge's appointments indefinitely. That allowed Galileo to scramble back to his workshop in Padua, where in August of 1609 he independently reinvented the telescope using many combinations of lenses.
Galileo rushed back to Venice, got an audience with the doge and demonstrated his telescope to the government and military brass.
In the autumn of 1609 Galileo observed the moon through his 20 to 30 power telescope and determined it had craters and mountains. It wasn't a perfectly smooth heavenly body as was believed at the time.
Even though he was Catholic he believed that the sun and not Earth was the center of what was then thought of as the universe.
He spent long hours observing the moons of Jupiter circling the planet, the phases of Venus and sunspots on the "perfect sun." He saw that countless stars make up the Milky Way. He observed that Saturn had ears. Unfortunately his telescope wasn't sharp enough to resolve the ring system.
It was his long hours of watching Jupiter's moons and Venus' phases that lead him to conclude that the Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, who died shortly before Galileo was born, was absolutely correct in proposing that Earth was orbiting the sun.
It was a very dangerous time to take on the Italian government and the Catholic Church. The church fervently believed in an Earth centered universe and any other thinking was considered extreme heresy.
When Galileo published his findings in "Dialogue on the Two World Systems" released in 1632 he was arrested and put on trial in 1633. It's said he recanted, but he was convicted of heresy and kept under house arrest until his death in 1642.
Pope John Paul II exonerated Galileo in 1992 and in fact honored him. The pope in so many words said that the Bible is a book about how to get to heaven and not how the heavens go.
Last year I was fortunate enough to visit the Museum of Science in Florence and to see two of Galileo's early telescopes. It was an absolutely magic moment in my life seeing those telescopes in the glass case. I felt very close to absolute greatness.
Mike Lynch is an amateur astronomer and professional broadcast meteorologist for WCCO Radio in Minneapolis and is author of the book, "Washington Starwatch," available at bookstores and at his Web site, www.lynchandthestars.com.
The Everett Astronomical Society welcomes new members at www.everettastro.org.
READER COMMENTS
Be the first to comment.
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20090524/LIVING/705249932