Galileo Galilei
hideGalileo Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642) was an Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher who played a major role in the Scientific Revolution. His achievements include improvements to the telescope and consequent astronomical observations, and support for Copernicanism. Galileo has been called the "father of modern observational astronomy," the "father of modern physics," the "father of science," and "the Father of Modern Science." Stephen Hawking says, "Galileo, perhaps more than any other single person, was responsible for the birth of modern science."
The motion of uniformly accelerated objects, taught in nearly all high school and introductory college physics courses, was studied by Galileo as the subject of kinematics. His contributions to observational astronomy include the telescopic confirmation of the phases of Venus, the discovery of the four largest satellites of Jupiter, named the Galilean moons in his honour, and the observation and analysis of sunspots. Galileo also worked in applied science and technology, improving compass design.
Galileo's championing of Copernicanism was controversial within his lifetime, when a large majority of philosophers and astronomers still subscribed (at least outwardly) to the geocentric view that the Earth is at the centre of the universe. After 1610, when he began supporting heliocentrism publicly, he met with bitter opposition from some philosophers and clerics, and two of the latter eventually denounced him to the Roman Inquisition early in 1615. Although he was cleared of any offence at that time, the Catholic Church nevertheless condemned heliocentrism as "false and contrary to Scripture" in February 1616, and Galileo was warned to abandon his support for it—which he promised to do. When he later defended his views in his most famous work, Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, published in 1632, he was tried by the Inquisition, found "vehemently suspect of heresy," forced to recant, and spent the rest of his life under house arrest.
For more information about Galileo Galilei, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
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News tagged with galileo
Museum: Galileo's fingers, tooth are found
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Nov 21, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Two fingers and a tooth removed from Galileo Galilei's corpse in a Florentine basilica in the 18th century and given up for lost have been found again and will soon be put on display, an Italian museum ...
Rosetta spacecraft may help unravel cosmic mystery (w/ Video)
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Nov 12, 2009 |
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When Europe's comet chaser Rosetta swings by Earth tomorrow for a critical gravity assist, tracking data will be collected to precisely measure the satellite's change in orbital energy. The results could help ...
Paradigm shift: How Galileo's spy glass upended science
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Oct 23, 2009 |
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Today it would hardly pass muster as a child's plaything, but the telescope Galileo used 400 years ago this week to peer into the heavens overturned the foundations of knowledge, changing our perception of ...
Eyes to the skies for the 'Galilean Nights'
Oct 22, 2009 |
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Astronomers around the world are gearing up for three days of intense sky-watching in honour of Galileo, whose observations 400 years ago revolutionised our understanding of the cosmos.
Galileo's Jupiter Journey Began Two Decades Ago
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Oct 19, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA's Galileo spacecraft began what would become a 14-year odyssey of exploration 20 years ago this Sunday, Oct. 18. Galileo was humanity's first emissary to orbit a planet in the outer solar ...
The GalileoMobile starts its South American voyage
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Oct 05, 2009 |
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The GalileoMobile is a Special Project of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009), which is a global celebration commemorating the first use of a telescope to view the Universe by the Italian astronomer ...
EU unveils more precise satnav system
Oct 01, 2009 |
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(AP) -- The European Union has unveiled an updated satellite navigation system that is up to five times more precise than the current GPS system.
Scientists complete first geological global map of Jupiter's satellite Ganymede
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Sep 16, 2009 |
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Scientists have assembled the first global geological map of the Solar System’s largest moon - and in doing so have gathered new evidence into the formation of the large, icy satellite.
Galileo's notebooks may reveal secrets of new planet
Jul 09, 2009 |
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Galileo knew he had discovered a new planet in 1613, 234 years before its official discovery date, according to a new theory by a University of Melbourne physicist.
EU satnav project ill-conceived: auditors court
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Jun 29, 2009 |
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The EU's much delayed satellite navigation network project Galileo has been ill-prepared and badly managed, the European Court of Auditors charged Monday.
Equivalence principle in space test
May 11, 2009 |
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Since Galileo Galilei and Newton, the assumption is valid that inert and heavy mass are equivalent. This is, however, questioned by new physical theories such as the String theory. Now, the equivalence principle ...
China launches gps satellite: report
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Apr 15, 2009 |
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China launched a navigational satellite, the nation's space administration reported, the second in a series of up to 30 orbiters to comprise a global positioning network.
Norway joins EU's Galileo satnav project
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Apr 03, 2009 |
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Norway said Friday it will stump up close to 70 million euros in funding for the European Union's satellite navigation project Galileo.
Galileo's telescope on historic visit to Philly
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Apr 02, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Though it looks like a cardboard tube that got left out in the rain, it's a priceless instrument whose owner changed the world. The mottled brown cylinder on display at The Franklin Institute science ...
What did Galileo actually do?
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Feb 19, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- What convinced Galileo 400 years ago that the Earth orbits the Sun and not vice-versa? How did one man make such a startling discovery, armed with just a 2 inch lens telescope?
