ASTR 101 Chapter Notes -Galilean Moons
1 Feb 2014
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Lived far away from kepler however they were aware of each others" work. Galileo was more rational and can be considered the first scientist who needed empirical evidence, challenging aristotle"s notion that thought alone can lead to deep physical understanding. Example: dropping a ball off a moving car appears to fall straight down from above, but for an observer standing on the side of the road the ball appears to curve. There is no way to determine that the car is the object moving vs everything else around it. Galileo argued that although we do not feel earth moving through space, since the air and atmosphere are carried with it through an environment of just empty space (no limiting factors except gravity) Contrary to aristotle, galileo argued if earth were set on a new course through space it would never stop moving in that direction (assuming no other limiting factors)
