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Galileo (1564-1642) Radically Changed Our Understanding Of The Universe

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Galileo (1564-1642) radically changed our human understanding of the universe. The Polish astronomer Copernicus had wisely waited until after his own death in 1543 to allow a report to be published that stated the sun – not the earth – was the center of the solar system. The Church declared Copernicus a heretic and burned his books. Galileo believed that if he proved that Copernicus was correct by direct observation through his telescope, everyone would accept it as the truth—big mistake! He used his telescope to see four moons of Jupiter, craters on the moon, and the phases of Venus’ orbit around the sun, and in 1609 published his book, The Starry Messenger, which supported Copernicus’ theory. The book was an immediate sensation across
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