Galileo Galilei Research Paper

Galileo might be the most famous person in the development of astronomy. He is famous, not only because of the amazing work he did to advance Copernican theory of heliocentrism, but also because of the controversy that surrounded him. Using new methods and instruments, he provided compelling new evidence to support Copernican theory. He also contributed to the development of theories of physics that could account for the movements of bodies in new terms. His observations of the movements of objects in the heavens required different explanations than the old ideas about the heavens. It required him, and others, to begin to understand the reasons to explain these new observations. His efforts to publicize his findings was met by

Galileo Galilei was a very influential and controversial astronomer, scientist, mathematician, teacher, and physicist. His life began in the sixteenth century and ended in the seventeenth, in which he penned several books that supported the Copernican theory of a heliocentric solar system. In the words of Drake S. (1957) “... the works of Galileo are well written, and throw light upon the origins of modern science…”(Pg. 2) Although Galileo was soon deemed a heretic by the Roman Catholic church, he continued diligently challenging Aristotelian thought and doctrine and expressing his support of the Copernican theory. As he continued to make discoveries that supported this theory, the church continued to label him as a heretic, and eventually

Another important figure in the Scientific Revolution was Galileo Galilei. He was an Italian born professor of mathematics who had a great interest in the workings of the universe. Galileo served as a professor at the University of Padua, and it was during this time that he began to question the accuracy of the Churches representation of the world. Galileo’s approach towards knowledge was much different then the afore mentioned Copernicus. Where as Copernicus presented his finding to the mercy of the church, Galileo wrote his conclusions and left the Roman Catholic Church interpret them as they chose. The very nature of his findings pitted him as an opponent of the church.

Similar to Huck's willingness to face punishment for illegal activity and nonconformity, Galileo went against the Catholic Church's beliefs and declared that the Earth went around the Sun. An Italian astronomer and physicist, Galileo Galilei invented the telescope in 1609 and his observations supported Copernicus' theory that all planets revolved around the Sun. However, Galileo's belief faced much opposition as it did not follow the ideas of the Church, which had monumental influence on society at that time. This indeed set the scene for an individual's clash with the ideals of society. Although Galileo did not want to instigate conflict, he could

Galileo Galilei was also a supporter of the Copernican Theory. Galileo believed the earth, and other planets, rotated on its axis around the unmoving sun. He used his new invention of the telescope to prove Copernicus’ theory. With the telescope, Galileo found sunspots on the earth’s moon, which gave proof to him that the heavens were not perfect and changeless but were more like the changeable earth. iv He also discovered Jupiter and the four moons that revolved around it. He only discovered one moon revolving around the earth. Galileo therefore stated if Jupiter were to revolve around the earth, then the earth would have to have at least four moons, and it doesn’t. v The Church objected Galileo’s theory because the Bible said the sun moved through the sky. Being totally rejected by the church, Galileo was forced to take back what he had written and was also prevented from any further teachings of his theory. Galileo was condemned by the Catholic Church for his ideas. The Church succeeded in silencing Galileo but couldn’t stop the advancements in science.

Galileo made his first telescope in early 1609 after being interested in similar magnifying objects that other people he knew was making at the time. Galileo's telescope helped him to discover the sunspots on our sun, four of Jupiter’s moons, and also found out that our moon did not have a smooth surface, but had a crater filled and rough surface (Armento et al. 355). In 1609, he developed a telescope better than any made ever before which had a 30x zoom on it (Armento et al.

He wanted people to become more interested in finding things as if they were scientist like himself. On the other hand, Galileo wanted people to stop including the bible into scientific findings. One of Galileo’s findings as stated in the book, “I hold the sun to be situated motionless in the center of the revolution of the celestial orbs while the Earth rotates on its axis and revolves about the sun” (The Human Record, 42). Galileo made an attempt to explain that his findings do not discredit the religion or the church.

In 1609, Galileo constructed his own telescope, which he used to explore the wonders of the heavens. He followed Copernicus’ heliocentric philosophy and was able to prove it by observing the night sky. In 1610, Galileo discovered four moons orbiting around Jupiter. He published his findings in his book “The Starry Messenger”. The observation of four moons orbiting around Jupiter went against the geocentric ideal, which everything revolves around the Earth. In the same year, Galileo observed and recorded the phases of Venus. He found that the phases showed that Venus did not revolve around the Earth, but rather around the Sun. He said that Venus shows phases like the moon; therefore, it must revolve around the Sun and not around the Earth. If the Sun and Venus revolved around the Earth, the phases of Venus would be vastly different because the Sun’s position is beyond Venus’ position. In 1632, Galileo published his findings proving the heliocentric idea,

In his letter written in 1597 to Johannes Kepler, he states, “I accepted the view of Copernicus many years ago. And from this standpoint I have discovered many natural phenomena, which cannot be explained on the basis of the more commonly accepted hypothesis [that the Earth is the center of the Universe]”(9). In other words, Galileo also accepted the idea of the heliocentric view of the universe and that it is a better model of the universe that can explain phenomenon that could not necessarily be explained with the geocentric view. With his invention of a more powerful telescope, observation of a supernova, and discovery of the four moons of Jupiter, Galileo further supported and extended Copernicus’ theory of the heliocentric view of the

Galileo’s use of the telescope in 1609 revolutionized the field of astronomy because his observations disproved the geocentric theory and provided strong evidence for the Copernican/Heliocentric system. Galileo discovered four satellites orbiting Jupiter; this observation contradicted the geocentric theory by proving that it is possible for objects to orbit something other than Earth. His observation of the phases of Venus supported the heliocentric theory because he discovered they were similar to the Moon’s phases (from thin crescent to full) which would not be possible if Venus orbited the Earth as it would never pass behind the Sun. Further, he observed that Venus changed size which would be expected if it was orbiting the sun as predicted by the Copernican system.

Galileo Galilei was well known for his discoveries and achievements worldwide in modern science. Galileo attended the University of Pisa where he was exposed to the Aristotelian view of the world; therefore, he began to come up with a scientific theory to disapprove Aristotelian’s theory. Furthermore, he was the first individual to study the sky with the telescope he had built himself. In his essay, De Motu, he carried out a series of experiments to disapprove of Aristotle’s physic of motion. He wrote two books that lead to problems with the Catholic Church and it had to be banned. The first book, Starry Messenger was focused on the idea of the heliocentric system and it included his discoveries. The second book, Dialogue concerning he Two

Some people will see Galileo as a regular person who invented the telescope. But I’m here to show you that Galileo was a crucial part in advancement in modern technology. He was the foundation of astronomy. Without him being alive during that time period it’s possible we wouldn’t even have telescopes. This has all begun in a city where Galileo was born named Pisa.

Galileo’s observational discoveries in astronomy allowed for the basis to begin discrediting the old ideas in favor of a new understanding of the universe. The longstanding way of thought in astronomy favored a spherically rotating universe around the Earth with unchanging and perfectly symmetrical constellations and planets. The contemporaries of Galileo believed, for example, that the moon had the face of a shiny, polished sphere, whereas Galileo showed that the surface of the moon to be imperfect with rough mountainous areas along with deep valleys (or “seas” as he called them) marked with dark sports (Frova 162). This surface very much paralleled the rough surface of the Earth (meaning that Earth’s surface was not unique). Also with his improved telescope, Galileo was capable of viewing the stars with much more clarity. Galileo discovered newly formed stars and star clusters, which challenged the Aristotelian philosophy of an ageless universe. Additionally, Galileo observed four of Jupiter’s largest moons orbiting around the planet (Frova 179). His observations of Jupiter’s satellites did not agree with the idea that all heavenly bodies must rotate around a central Earth. Finally, and arguably most important, Galileo showed Venus’s phases and

Galileo Galilei was born in Pisa, Italy on February 15, 1564 and was named after his ancestor Galileo Bonaiuti who was a physician, professor, and politician. His parents were Giulia Ammannati and Vincenzo Galilei, a famous lutenist, composer, and music theorist. He was the first born of six children of which three of his five siblings survived infancy. He started his education at the young age of 8 at the Camaldolese Monastery at Vallombrosa, which brought a close connection to the Christian religion.

In 1581, Galileo entered the University of Pisa. While there, he studied medicine. Not being his favorite subject, Galileo quickly developed a passion for mathematics. He improved the telescope originally invented by Zacharias Janssen and Jacob Metius. One day, Galileo looked into his telescope and up out into the universe. “His initial reaction was sheer