We Celebrate a Galilean Anniversary
Galileo—who, among many accomplishments, was first to use a telescope to discover moons around Jupiter—was born 450 years ago this week. Clara Moskowitz reports
By Clara Moskowitz
SUBSCRIBE TO 60-Second Space
On supporting science journalism
If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
What would Galileo Galilei think if he could see us now? The Italian scientist credited with inventing the telescope was born 450 years ago this week.
Galileo might be glad to hear about the triumph of heliocentrism—the idea that the planets rotate around the sun, not the Earth—since this view got Galileo convicted of heresy by the Roman Inquisition.
He might be happy to see how pendulum clocks were invented based on his ideas of pendulum motion. And he'd probably be shocked to know that a telescope bearing his name was launched on a space shuttle to visit the planet Jupiter and the Jovian moons he discovered.
Still, even geniuses can't win 'em all. Perhaps Galileo would be disappointed to learn that the moon really does cause the tides, and that planets do orbit in ellipses, not circles. Those were two ideas of Johannes Kepler's that Galileo rejected.
But all in all, I bet the great Galileo would be impressed with science's progress. Like the discoveries of exoplanets and the expanding universe.
—Clara Moskowitz
[The above text is a transcript of this podcast.]
It’s Time to Stand Up for Science
If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.
I’ve been a Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.
If you subscribe to Scientific American, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.
In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can't-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world's best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.
There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you’ll support us in that mission.
