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Galileo’s inventions were a scientific marvel in his time and have since been incredibly important to cosmic and astronomical study. Galileo Galilei was born in 1564 in Pisa, Italy (where the tower leans) and educated in one of the city’s main monasteries. Early in life he wanted to join the Church Order, however his parents, Vincenzo Galilei (a music teacher) and Guilia Ammannati, had different ambitions for their son. They wanted Galileo to become a medical doctor. However, while pursing his university studies, Galileo realized he had a passion for mathematics and instead became a professor of mathematics at the Universities of Padua and Pisa.
Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) |
As a professor, Galileo argued against traditional views of astronomy. Until that point in history, Aristotle’s theories were thought to be the fundamental laws in physics. Aristotle’s belief that objects with a greater density fall faster than those that are lighter in weight, was disproved by Galileo when he stood at the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa and discovered that the reason for one object falling faster than the other had to do with the friction each encounters while moving through the air- two objects of different weight actually fall at the same rate in a vacuum.
Galileo also argued against Aristotle’s claim that the universe was geocentric, which means that the Sun revolves around the Earth. Instead, he confirmed Nicholas Copernicus’ controversial assertion that the Earth and all other planets actually circle the Sun, the heliocentric view. Galileo’s magnificent invention of the telescope in 1610 provided the tool needed to verify the Copernican theory. His telescope was modelled after the spyglass, which made distant objects appear closer to the eye. Galileo’s model was far superior and was able to magnify objects twenty times versus others that were only capable of magnifying an object three times. With his telescope, Galileo was able to look at the moon and make more profound astronomical discoveries and studies. He discovered four of the moons of Jupiter with his telescope and also confirmed the phases of Venus.
Galileo’s stern endorsement of the Copernican system angered the Roman Catholic Church. There were a number of biblical passages that clashed with the idea of a sun-centered universe. Although Pope Urban VIII, who headed the Church at the time, admired Galileo an Inquisition was formed to convict him of heresy after his book Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems was published. The Pope had previously assured Galileo that he could include Copernican theory in his writing as long as he treated it strictly as a mathematical principle. But such turned out not to be the case, Galileo was put under house arrest at his villa in Arcetri outside of Florence, Italy in 1633. He was not imprisoned due to his advanced age and ill health. At that point in his life, he had become blind and nearly immobile. He died in his villa in 1642, though he was a man whose life brought incredible advancement to the world of science. |
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