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Galileo Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8
January 1642) was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes
described as a polymath. Galileo has been called the "father of
observational astronomy",the "father of modern physics",the
"father of the scientific method",and the "father of modern
science".
Early Life
Galileo was born in Pisa, Italy where he
grew up with his brothers and sisters during the Italian Renaissance. His
father was a music teacher and a famous musician. His family moved to the city of
Florence when he was ten years old. It was in Florence that Galileo began his
education at the Camaldolese monastery. Galileo was an accomplished musician
and an excellent student. At first he wanted to become a doctor, so he went to
the University of Pisa to study medicine in 1581.
A Budding Scientist
While at university, Galileo became
interested in physics and mathematics. One of his first scientific observations
was with a lamp hanging from the ceiling in the cathedral. He noticed that
despite how far the lamp swung, it took the same amount of time to swing back
and forth. This observation didn't agree with the common scientific principals
of the day.
In 1585, Galileo left the university and
got a job as a teacher. He began to experiment with pendulums, levers, balls,
and other objects. He tried to describe how they moved using mathematic
equations. He even invented an advanced measuring device called the hydrostatic
balance.
The Scientific Method
During the time of Galileo, there
weren't really "scientists" as we know them today. People studied the
works of the classical philosophers and thinkers such as Aristotle. They didn't
run experiments or test out the ideas. They just believed them to be true.
Galileo, however, had different ideas.
He wanted to test the principals and see if he could observe them in the real
world. This was a new concept to the people of his time and laid the foundation
for the scientific method.
Tower of Pisa Experiment
One of the traditional beliefs was that
if you dropped two items of different weights, but the same size and shape, the
heavier item would land first. Galileo tested this idea by going to the top of
the Leaning Tower of Pisa. He dropped two balls of the same size, but different
weights. They landed at the same time!
Galileo's experiments made some people
angry, however. They didn't want the traditional views to be questioned. In
1592, Galileo moved from Pisa to the University of Padua, where he was permitted
to experiment and discuss new ideas.
Copernicus
Copernicus was an astronomer who lived
in the early 1500s. He came up with the idea that the Sun was the center of the
universe. This was very different from the current belief that the Earth was
the center. Galileo began to study Copernicus' work and felt that his
observations of the planets supported the view that the Sun was the center.
This view was highly controversial.
Telescope
In 1609, Galileo heard of an invention
from Holland called the telescope that could make far away items appear much
closer. He decided to build his own telescope. He made great improvements to
the telescope and began to use it to view the planets. Soon Galileo's version
of the telescope was used throughout Europe.
Astronomer
Galileo made many discoveries using his
telescope including the four large moons around Jupiter and the phases of the
planet Venus. He also discovered sunspots and learned that the Moon was not
smooth, but was covered with craters.
Prison
As Galileo studied the planets and the
Sun, he became convinced that the Earth and the other planets orbited the Sun.
In 1632, he wrote a book called the Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World
Systems. In this book he described why he thought the Earth orbited the Sun.
However, the powerful Catholic Church considered Galileo's ideas as heresy. At
first they sentenced him to life in prison, but later allowed him to live at
his home in Tuscany under house arrest.
Death
Galileo continued to write while under
house arrest. In his later years he became blind. He died on January 8, 1642.
Interesting Facts about Galileo
1. Galileo published the first scientific
paper based on observations made through a telescope in 1610. It was called The
Starry Messenger.
2. In later years, the Catholic Church
changed their views on Galileo and stated that they regretted how he was
treated.
3. Galileo noticed that the planet Saturn
wasn't round. It was later discovered that Saturn had rings.
4. A year before his death he came up with
a pendulum design used for keeping time.
5. He once said that "The Sun, with
all those planets revolving around it…can still ripen a bunch of grapes as if
it had nothing else in the universe to do."
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