How Did Galileo See In The Heavens
Galileo Galilei was an Italian astronomer who provided many scientific insights that paved the way for later scientists. His explorations of the laws of motion and improvement of the telescope helped him further understand the universe and world around him. The two caused him to dispute the then current beliefs at the time that all things in the heavens revolved around the Earth.
Galileo made history with his observations of the heavens. In 1610, he wrote a book revealing his observations, Sindereus Nuncus (The Starry Messenger) regarding the surface of the Moon, Milky Way, and Medicean. Galileo was expecting the Moon to be a perfect, smooth sphere since it was the Aristotelian assumptions that the heavens were perfect. The ancients believed the heavens were made of a presumably perfect element, the aether, and this aether moved in perfect circles, hence the motion of the planets. …show more content…
Instead he discovered the Moon to be the opposite “…but it is uneven, rough, and full of cavities and prominences, being not unlike the face of earth, relieved by chains of mountains and deep valleys” [Galileo, Sindereus Nuncus; Drake 1957: pg 31]. This discovery was unexpected because it immediately refuted the theory that all the celestial bodies in the universe were flawless in appearance, as taught by Aristotle and Ptolemy. He was surprised at this discovery because he realized the Moon’s features were similar to Earth. He also discovered the four moons surrounding Jupiter, which are known as the Medicean stars. Galileo inferred that the moons of Jupiter orbited it, just as our Moon orbits Earth. This meant The Earth was not the only center of motion in the Universe. If moons were orbiting Jupiter, then it is evident everything cannot be orbiting Earth. This proves that the Earth was not the single center of all heavenly motions. This observation works against those who rejected that the Earth couldn’t possibly be moving around the Sun with the Moon in orbit
Regalado, Stephanie Page 2
Galileo and the Scientific Revolution
October 8th, 2017
around the Earth since Jupiter was moving in the heavens with four moons “...Our own eyes show us four stars which wander around Jupiter as it does the moon around the Earth, while altogether trace out a grand revolution about the Sun in the space of twelve years [Drake 1957, Discoveries and Opinions of Galileo, 57]. In addition, he discovered countless individual stars that make up the Milky Way. Galileo’s observations of Jupiter's moons and phases of Venus proved the Ptolemaic theory was wrong. If Venus were always in front of the Sun like the Ptolemaic theory believed, the Sun would be behind it and the face of Venus would appear mostly dark with crescents of light depending upon where the Sun was in regards to Venus around in front of it. He observed the phases of Venus and found that Venus went through phases, just like the Moon. “Galileo’s discoveries began to suggest that there was no great difference between objects in the heavens and the Earth, thus paving the way for a ‘universal’ theory of the universe, and not one that regarded the heavens as special and the Earth as different, as Aristotle had held” [Professor Dauben Week 3 AWA]. An essential part of Galileo’s contribution in the 17th century was his insistence mathematics was the key to understanding nature. He says in The Assayer(1643) that: “the book is written in the language of mathematics, and its characters are triangles, circles, and other geometric figures without which it is humanly impossible to understand a single word of it; without these, one wanders about in a dark labyrinth” [Galileo, The Assayer]. In his book Dialogue on the Two New Sciences, he shows that objects fall according to a mathematical formula. Through this experiment, Galileo concluded that if an object is released from rest and gains speed at a steady rate (as it would in free-fall or when rolling down an inclined plane), then the total distance, s, traveled by the object is proportional to the time squared needed for that travel. Galileo disproved Aristotle's assertion that heavier bodies fall faster than light ones. For
Regalado, Stephanie Page 3
Galileo and the Scientific Revolution
October 8th, 2017
Galileo, this demonstrated conclusively the power of mathematics as the “language” of nature [Professor Dauben Week V AWA]. Galileo states in his letter to the Grand Duchess Christina, who was a member of the House of Lorraine and was the Grand Duchess of Tuscany by marriage: “Contrary to the sense of the Bible…if I am not mistaken, they would extend such authorities until even in purely physical matters-where faith is not involved” Drake pg. 179]. Galileo’s purpose was to accommodate the heliocentric theory with the teachings of the Catholic Church. During this time, the Scientific Revolution was causing conflict with the Church. Galileo opposed using the Bible as a reference to understanding physical things. Galileo explained why he believed there should be no conflict between religion and the Bible as the word of God, and science as the study of the natural world
God created, if the Bible were only correctly interpreted.
But the two were about two very different things; as Galileo says quoting Cardinal Baronius “the Bible tells you how to go to heaven, not how the heavens go” [Professor Dauben Week IV AWA]. Jacob Bronowski concurs with Galileo saying,: “The news was sensational…And yet is was not altogether welcome, because what Galileo saw in the sky, and revealed to everyone who was willing to look, was that the Ptolemaic heaven simply would not work. Copernicus’s powerful guess had been right, and now stood open and revealed. And like many more recent scientific results, that did not at all please the prejudice of the establishment of his day” [Bronowski 1973 pg. 204].
Galileo reconciles the conflict between science and religion by saying that to “abandon reason and the evidence of our senses in favor of some biblical passage” would be “contrary to the sense of the Bible and the intention of the holy Fathers” [Galileo quoted from Drake pg. 179]. Galileo points out that Copernicus never mentions matters of religion and faith, nor does
he
Regalado, Stephanie Page 4
Galileo and the Scientific Revolution
October 8th 2017
base arguments that depend on Scripture that could be interpreted erroneously. Galileo argued that the Copernican theory was not only a mathematical calculating tool but a physical reality, and if they criticized his theories without having the skill of a true mathematician then he shouldn’t be condemned if they are not the experts [Drake 1957: pg.180].
The following is a letter addressed to the Grand Duchess Christina opposing any arguments Galileo has against the Catholic Church:
Dear Grand Duchess Christina, It has been made privy to me that Galileo has written a letter to you in defense to his theory that evidently offends the Catholic Church, and philosophers. Be certain that these are just theories that have not been backed up with any tangible evidence. It holds no weight in comparison to our biblical doctrine. These claims are foreign to us and have to be scrutinized especially when it is going against our biblical belief. Galileo mentions that the sun is the center of the universe and that the Earth revolves around the Sun but how can that be true when it is not clear how the Earth spins on its own axis once a day and we not fly off. It isn’t clear how a weight can be dropped from a high tower and fall vertically to an Earth that spins. This furthermore proves that he doesn’t have support for what he says rather than say that physical matters and faith have to be separated. It is with great respect that I ask you not to entertain any theories he is trying to make them sound convincing in trying to replace our beliefs with his.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Regalado
The conflict between Galileo and the Catholic Church is indeed religious and theological in essence. Since Galileo undermined the beliefs of the perfect heaven, the unchangeable God, and the hierarchically structured universe, the positive concept of "change" has been quietly revolutionizing various disciplines. Galileo observed that the universe appears to happen by chance, and hence he developed advanced mathematics in an attempt to explain the phenomenon. Although at the time, the Aristotelian and Ptolemaic views were favorably received; ultimately it was the views of Galileo and the Copernicans that were proved superior to the contrary. The phases of Venus contributed the first tangible evidence that Copernicus may have been right, that the Sun is at the center of the solar system was not only the best way for accounting the planetary positions, but in fact was the true state of the universe.
Bibliography
Bronowski, Jacob (1974). “The Starry Messenger” In The Ascent of Man. New York, NY: Little Brown & Co.,
Drake, Stillman (1957). Discoveries and Opinions of Galileo. Anchor Books. The Starry
Messenger, Letters on Sunspots, Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina, the Assayer.
Galileo made history with his observations of the heavens. In 1610, he wrote a book revealing his observations, Sindereus Nuncus (The Starry Messenger) regarding the surface of the Moon, Milky Way, and Medicean. Galileo was expecting the Moon to be a perfect, smooth sphere since it was the Aristotelian assumptions that the heavens were perfect. The ancients believed the heavens were made of a presumably perfect element, the aether, and this aether moved in perfect circles, hence the motion of the planets. …show more content…
Instead he discovered the Moon to be the opposite “…but it is uneven, rough, and full of cavities and prominences, being not unlike the face of earth, relieved by chains of mountains and deep valleys” [Galileo, Sindereus Nuncus; Drake 1957: pg 31]. This discovery was unexpected because it immediately refuted the theory that all the celestial bodies in the universe were flawless in appearance, as taught by Aristotle and Ptolemy. He was surprised at this discovery because he realized the Moon’s features were similar to Earth. He also discovered the four moons surrounding Jupiter, which are known as the Medicean stars. Galileo inferred that the moons of Jupiter orbited it, just as our Moon orbits Earth. This meant The Earth was not the only center of motion in the Universe. If moons were orbiting Jupiter, then it is evident everything cannot be orbiting Earth. This proves that the Earth was not the single center of all heavenly motions. This observation works against those who rejected that the Earth couldn’t possibly be moving around the Sun with the Moon in orbit
Regalado, Stephanie Page 2
Galileo and the Scientific Revolution
October 8th, 2017
around the Earth since Jupiter was moving in the heavens with four moons “...Our own eyes show us four stars which wander around Jupiter as it does the moon around the Earth, while altogether trace out a grand revolution about the Sun in the space of twelve years [Drake 1957, Discoveries and Opinions of Galileo, 57]. In addition, he discovered countless individual stars that make up the Milky Way. Galileo’s observations of Jupiter's moons and phases of Venus proved the Ptolemaic theory was wrong. If Venus were always in front of the Sun like the Ptolemaic theory believed, the Sun would be behind it and the face of Venus would appear mostly dark with crescents of light depending upon where the Sun was in regards to Venus around in front of it. He observed the phases of Venus and found that Venus went through phases, just like the Moon. “Galileo’s discoveries began to suggest that there was no great difference between objects in the heavens and the Earth, thus paving the way for a ‘universal’ theory of the universe, and not one that regarded the heavens as special and the Earth as different, as Aristotle had held” [Professor Dauben Week 3 AWA]. An essential part of Galileo’s contribution in the 17th century was his insistence mathematics was the key to understanding nature. He says in The Assayer(1643) that: “the book is written in the language of mathematics, and its characters are triangles, circles, and other geometric figures without which it is humanly impossible to understand a single word of it; without these, one wanders about in a dark labyrinth” [Galileo, The Assayer]. In his book Dialogue on the Two New Sciences, he shows that objects fall according to a mathematical formula. Through this experiment, Galileo concluded that if an object is released from rest and gains speed at a steady rate (as it would in free-fall or when rolling down an inclined plane), then the total distance, s, traveled by the object is proportional to the time squared needed for that travel. Galileo disproved Aristotle's assertion that heavier bodies fall faster than light ones. For
Regalado, Stephanie Page 3
Galileo and the Scientific Revolution
October 8th, 2017
Galileo, this demonstrated conclusively the power of mathematics as the “language” of nature [Professor Dauben Week V AWA]. Galileo states in his letter to the Grand Duchess Christina, who was a member of the House of Lorraine and was the Grand Duchess of Tuscany by marriage: “Contrary to the sense of the Bible…if I am not mistaken, they would extend such authorities until even in purely physical matters-where faith is not involved” Drake pg. 179]. Galileo’s purpose was to accommodate the heliocentric theory with the teachings of the Catholic Church. During this time, the Scientific Revolution was causing conflict with the Church. Galileo opposed using the Bible as a reference to understanding physical things. Galileo explained why he believed there should be no conflict between religion and the Bible as the word of God, and science as the study of the natural world
God created, if the Bible were only correctly interpreted.
But the two were about two very different things; as Galileo says quoting Cardinal Baronius “the Bible tells you how to go to heaven, not how the heavens go” [Professor Dauben Week IV AWA]. Jacob Bronowski concurs with Galileo saying,: “The news was sensational…And yet is was not altogether welcome, because what Galileo saw in the sky, and revealed to everyone who was willing to look, was that the Ptolemaic heaven simply would not work. Copernicus’s powerful guess had been right, and now stood open and revealed. And like many more recent scientific results, that did not at all please the prejudice of the establishment of his day” [Bronowski 1973 pg. 204].
Galileo reconciles the conflict between science and religion by saying that to “abandon reason and the evidence of our senses in favor of some biblical passage” would be “contrary to the sense of the Bible and the intention of the holy Fathers” [Galileo quoted from Drake pg. 179]. Galileo points out that Copernicus never mentions matters of religion and faith, nor does
he
Regalado, Stephanie Page 4
Galileo and the Scientific Revolution
October 8th 2017
base arguments that depend on Scripture that could be interpreted erroneously. Galileo argued that the Copernican theory was not only a mathematical calculating tool but a physical reality, and if they criticized his theories without having the skill of a true mathematician then he shouldn’t be condemned if they are not the experts [Drake 1957: pg.180].
The following is a letter addressed to the Grand Duchess Christina opposing any arguments Galileo has against the Catholic Church:
Dear Grand Duchess Christina, It has been made privy to me that Galileo has written a letter to you in defense to his theory that evidently offends the Catholic Church, and philosophers. Be certain that these are just theories that have not been backed up with any tangible evidence. It holds no weight in comparison to our biblical doctrine. These claims are foreign to us and have to be scrutinized especially when it is going against our biblical belief. Galileo mentions that the sun is the center of the universe and that the Earth revolves around the Sun but how can that be true when it is not clear how the Earth spins on its own axis once a day and we not fly off. It isn’t clear how a weight can be dropped from a high tower and fall vertically to an Earth that spins. This furthermore proves that he doesn’t have support for what he says rather than say that physical matters and faith have to be separated. It is with great respect that I ask you not to entertain any theories he is trying to make them sound convincing in trying to replace our beliefs with his.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Regalado
The conflict between Galileo and the Catholic Church is indeed religious and theological in essence. Since Galileo undermined the beliefs of the perfect heaven, the unchangeable God, and the hierarchically structured universe, the positive concept of "change" has been quietly revolutionizing various disciplines. Galileo observed that the universe appears to happen by chance, and hence he developed advanced mathematics in an attempt to explain the phenomenon. Although at the time, the Aristotelian and Ptolemaic views were favorably received; ultimately it was the views of Galileo and the Copernicans that were proved superior to the contrary. The phases of Venus contributed the first tangible evidence that Copernicus may have been right, that the Sun is at the center of the solar system was not only the best way for accounting the planetary positions, but in fact was the true state of the universe.
Bibliography
Bronowski, Jacob (1974). “The Starry Messenger” In The Ascent of Man. New York, NY: Little Brown & Co.,
Drake, Stillman (1957). Discoveries and Opinions of Galileo. Anchor Books. The Starry
Messenger, Letters on Sunspots, Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina, the Assayer.