Question

Galileo was the first scientist to use the telescope to study the nighttime sky. Among his discoveries were the phases of Venus and the four major satellites of Jupiter. Discuss the significance of these discoveries in relation to the astronomical theories of that time. Given the views that he put forward, do you believe he was treated fairly by society?

Answer 1

Answer and Explanation:

At the time when Galileo lived, people believed in the geocentric model of the solar system, which claimed that earth was the center of the universe, where all the celestial bodies revolved around it. By using the microscope and discovering Jupiter's natural satellites, Galileo put geocentric systems to the test. This is because he showed that the earth was not the only planet that had celestial bodies rotating around it, other planets had this capacity, like Jupiter. Today we know that Galileo is correct, but his ideas were not well received at the time.

In relation to astronomy, the science of Galileo's time was based on the Aristotelian model, which stated that the celestial bodies were smooth and had a perfect, polished surface with no irregularities. Galileo also put this concept to the test, when he was able to visualize the surface of the moon with his telescope. He saw that the moon did not have a smooth surface, but a rough one, full of irregularities, mountains and caves just like the earth. Today we know that this is true, but one more this idea was not well received by the fellow citizens of Galileo, which caused his life imprisonment for heresy.

We can see that Galileo did not receive a correct judgment from the society in which he lived and suffered for it, even though he was not doing any harm to anyone.