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Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)
A Genius and a Jerk
Studied Copernican system under Jesuits.
Performed masterful experiments on motion.
Improved the telescope and pointed it at the heavens (1609).
- Found mountains on the moon (it was therefore not a perfect sphere).
- Observed the phases of Venus (confirming Tycho’s half-heliocentric system--evidence that Venus orbits the sun, not the earth).
- Identified four moons of Jupiter--an absolutely amazing feat of observation!
- Saw sunspots that suggested the sun rotated on its axis.
- Showed that the Milky Way was composed of individual stars.
Honored in Rome in 1611 for his telescopic observations. Galileo was a superstar!