Final Project

Kristine P.

Legislator:  William Callegari, Representative

Final Project

In 1609, Galileo Galilei, an Italian astronomer, first saw Mars by using his primitive telescope. He used a telescope similar to the spyglass used by sailors of his time period; he was the first person to use the spyglass to study space systematically. His studies changed how people viewed space forever, and it began the study of space, as we know it today!

Despite common belief, Galileo did not invent the first telescope. Many have claimed to have first invented the telescope, but none have proof of this accomplishment. The earliest record of the invention is a letter of the government of Zealand dated September 25, 1608. It claims to "have a certain device by means of which all things at a very great distance can be seen as if they were nearby, by looking through glasses which he claims to be a new invention." The maker of this very primitive telescope was a Flemish spectacle-maker named Hans Lipperhey. Lipperhey applied for a patent, but was refused. It was not until July of 1609 that Galileo first heard of this new invention and set to work to make his own telescope. Galileo wanted to improve the telescope Lipperhey had used -- a form of low-magnification spyglasses. Galileo not only redesigned the telescope into the cylindrical shape we associate with telescopes today, but he created one with higher magnification as well.

The telescope has led to much of our vast knowledge of "the great unknown." Galileo’s telescope was a simple arrangement of two lenses in a long, narrow tube. With this telescope he was able to see objects ten times more clearly than before, and thus, he was given the power to make many new discoveries. Furthermore, early astronomers made sketches of what they viewed through their telescopes, and this allowed them to get a more accurate idea of what really lied beyond earth by comparing their discoveries. It also allowed more common people to see what lied beyond many people’s imaginations. Because of the telescope, Galileo first noted that Mars and Venus went through phases just like the moon did. He referred to Mars as a "spherical body illuminated by the Sun." Galileo was also the first to see the "blemishes" on the sun that we now call sunspots. Consequently, Galileo went blind later in life – most likely from staring at the sun for such prolonged periods of time. Also, he first discovered the four brightest moons of Jupiter, which are now referred to as the Galilean moons, even though Galileo himself called them the Medician Stars. He named the moons as a "gift" to the Grand Duke Cosimo of Tuscany. Discoveries like these taught us that a planet could have moons circling it, which would not be left behind, as the planet moved around its orbit. In addition to all this, Galileo even discovered that the moon had mountains and valleys, which disproved the previous belief that the moon had a smooth surface. Galileo was the first astronomer to use the telescope to its full potential by studying the moon, sun, and other planets. He published all his discoveries in his book The Starry Messenger in 1610.

Galileo’s telescope did more than just study sunspots and moons. Since 1598, Galileo had believed in the truth of the Copernican theory. This theory was first proposed by Nicolaus Copernicus, a Polish astronomer. His book, De revolutionibus orbium coelestium, or "On the revolutions of the heavenly bodies," stated that the earth and all the other planets revolved around one fixed point, the sun. This was the beginning of the heliocentric model we know to be true today. Copernicus was the first person to propose a theory that refuted Ptolemy’s geocentric system, which stated that the earth was at rest in the center with all the planets and the sun revolving around it. In 1616, the Catholic Church included Copernicus’s book in the "index," a list of prohibited books. The church felt threatened by this new theory and refused to accept it. Galileo’s discoveries challenged the authority that said the earth was the center of the universe. In fact, the church refused to even look in his telescope because they believed whatever images they would see were placed there by the devil himself! During this time period everyone believed what they were told by the church, and thus, they believed that the sun and the planets revolved around earth. Therefore, Galileo did more than just make discoveries; he was one of the first to challenge the church’s authority. He set the precedent for many others to come that changed the world today.

Overall, Galileo accomplished many things in his life dealing with the telescope. He was the first person to utilize the telescope to its full potential in the study of space. He discovered many things about our moon, sun, and other planets. Most importantly, Galileo challenged the authority that was attempting to rule everyone’s lives. With the publication of his book, Galileo rapidly gained popularity. With this popularity, Galileo’s ideas spread and more people came to believe Copernicus’s theory that is now a proven fact.

Sources:

www.omni-optical.com/telescope/ut104.htm

http://amazing-spce.stsci.edu/galileo/galileo-to-hst1.html

http://www.hps.cam.ac.uk/starry/galtele.html

http://muse.tau.ac.il/museum/galileo/heliocentric.html

http://aerospacescholars.org/scholars/earthmars/unit1/first_telescopes.htm

Last Updated: 09/07/01