KOMPAS.com – Many scientists in the world have contributed to the development of astronomy. One of them Galileo Galilei.
Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei provided a number of scientific insights that laid the foundations for future scientists.
His investigations into the laws of motion and improvements to the telescope helped better understand the world and the universe around him.
It was he who questioned the truth that people believed at that time, namely the Earth as the center of the solar system and other celestial bodies revolved around the earth.
The road that was not smooth proved that the opinion of the people at that time was very wrong.
Here’s the story and the findings.
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The story of Galileo Galilei
Galileo Galilei was an Italian physicist and astronomer. Quoted from page NASA, Galileo was born in Pisa on February 15, 1564.
Galileo’s father, Vincenzo Galilei, was a famous musician. Vincenzo decided that his son should become a doctor.
Therefore, in 1581, Galileo was sent to the University of Pisa to study medicine. While a student at the university, Galileo discovered that he had a talent for mathematics.
He was able to persuade his father to allow him to leave university and become a mathematics teacher. He later became a mathematics professor.
Long story short, in 1609, Galileo heard about the invention of the binoculars, a device that made distant objects appear closer.
Galileo used his mathematical knowledge and technical skills to improve binoculars and build telescopes
In the same year, he became the first person to see the Moon through a telescope and made his first astronomical discoveries.
He discovered that the Moon was not smooth, but mountainous and hollow, just like the Earth.
He then used his newly invented telescope to locate the four moons revolving around Jupiter, study Saturn, observe the phases of Venus, and study sunspots.
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Galileo’s observations strengthened his belief in Copernicus’ theory that the Earth and all the other planets revolved around the Sun.
Most people in Galileo’s time believed that the Earth was the center of the universe. In addition, they believed that the Sun and the planets revolved around the Earth.
The most powerful and influential Catholic Church in Galileo’s time strongly supported the geocentric theory, or Earth-centered universe. Of course this contradicts Galileo’s view.
After Galileo began publishing papers on his astronomical discoveries and his belief in heliocentricity (a universe centered on the Sun, as opposed to geocentric), he was summoned to Rome to answer accusations brought against him by the Inquisition (a legal entity of the Catholic Church). ).
In early 1616, Galileo was accused of heresy, a man who opposed the teachings of the Church. Heresy is a crime for which people are sometimes sentenced to death.
Galileo was cleared of heresy, but was told that he could no longer publicly state his belief that the Earth moves around the Sun.
Galileo didn’t budge. He continued his studies of astronomy and became increasingly convinced that all the planets revolved around the Sun.
In 1632, he published a book which stated among other things that heliocentric theory Copernicus was right.
Galileo was again summoned before the Inquisition and this time found guilty of heresy.
Galileo was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1633. Due to his age and poor health, he was allowed to serve his prison sentence under house arrest. Galileo died on January 8, 1642.
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Galileo’s Discovery
Reported from space, November 14, 2017, Galileo is often wrongly credited with the creation of the telescope. He only developed binoculars made by Hans Lippershey whose patent was filed in 1608.
Galileo developed his telescope and went further by observing many celestial bodies. Starting from craters on the moon, sunspots, Saturn’s rings, and tracking the phases of Venus.
His telescope allows him to see at a magnification of 8 or 9 times. It’s bigger than glasses which only gives a magnification of 3 times.
Galileo is best known for discovering the 4 most massive moons (natural satellites) of Jupiter, now known as the Galilean moons, namely Io, Ganymede, Europa, and Callisto.
Galileo also carried out the first recorded study of the planet Neptune, although he did not recognize it as a planet.
While observing Jupiter’s moons in 1612 and 1613, he noted nearby stars whose positions are not found in any modern catalogs.
“It has been known for decades that this unknown star is actually the planet Neptune,” said University of Melbourne physicist David.
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Galileo also observed the pendulum. In his life, accurate timekeeping was almost non-existent.
Galileo observed, however, that the steady motion of the pendulum could enhance this.
In 1602, he determined that the time it takes the pendulum to swing back and forth does not depend on the arc of the swing.
Towards the end of his life, Galileo designed his first pendulum clock.
Another invention was the heliocentric system. Although at that time the church opposed him, even condemned him, now the system is proven right.
Galileo was finally recognized for his innovative discoveries and made him remembered as the “father of modern science”.
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