STS112 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Sidereus Nuncius, Geocentric Model, The Assayer
8 Jun 2018
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Week 6: Galileo's Work and the Role of the Telescope File
Galileo
• Born in Pisa in 1564, he studied medicine from the age of 17, but had more interests in maths
• Began making observations with the telescope in 1609
• Key publications: ‘Siderius Nuncius’ (The Starry Messenger), ‘Letters on the Sunspots’, ‘Letter on the
Grand Duchess Christina’, ‘The Assayer’, ‘Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems’ and
‘Discourses and Mathematical Demonstrations relating to Two Sciences’
• Covered a wide range of topics, astronomy, astrology, mathematics, light, magnetism military engineering
and music
Astronomy
• Became a committed Copernican
• Galileo constructed a telescope in 1609, he went on to publish his observations of the heavens in 1610 in a
work titled the ‘Starry Messenger’ (Siderius Nuncius)
• There are many more stars visible than can be seen with the naked eye and they are magnified less than the
distance between them – The universe much bigger and the stars are much further away than previously
thought
• Galileo observed Sunspots on the Sun, suggested the revolution of the Sun on its axis
Issues with the Telescope
• The telescope was a new poorly understood observational tool
• The quality of vision through the telescope was in many cases rather poor
• Most of the telescopic observations damage the Ptolemaic system
Significance
• Brought the Copernican system into wider view in educated society
• His telescope would capture the imaginations of numerous scholars and wider educated culture
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Week 6: galileo"s work and the role of the telescope file. Grand duchess christina", the assayer", dialogue concerning the two chief world systems" and. Discourses and mathematical demonstrations relating to two sciences": covered a wide range of topics, astronomy, astrology, mathematics, light, magnetism military engineering and music. Issues with the telescope: the telescope was a new poorly understood observational tool, the quality of vision through the telescope was in many cases rather poor, most of the telescopic observations damage the ptolemaic system.
