Galileo Galilei

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Galileo Galilei (February 15, 1564 – January 8, 1642 CE) was an Italian scientist and astronomer who supported the (now widely accepted) Copernican theory that that the earth revolves around the sun and not vice versa. He was forced to recant by the Catholic Inquisition, but famously muttered "E pur si muove" - "And yet, it moves".^[1] Johannes Kepler and Isaac Newton developed the theory further and provided the scientific underpinning which led to its universal acceptance. Centuries later, the Catholic Church expressed regret for how the Galileo affair was handled, and officially accepted the theory of heliocentrism^[2].

Jupiter's four largest moons are known as the "Galilean moons", since it was he who first observed them, using his homemade telescope. Observing moons orbiting around another planet was contrary to the notion the Church held dear - that everything in the universe revolved around the Earth.

When invited to verify his findings by looking through his telescope, conservative Christians declined to do so. Some things never change.

Contents 1 Quotes 2 Footnotes 3 See also 4 No relation

[edit] Quotes

I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with senses, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use and by some other means to give us knowledge which we can attain by them.

E pur si muove - "And yet, it moves"

[edit] Footnotes

1. ↑ Except there's no evidence that he ever said the phrase at all, and he would have been bloody stupid to have done so.
2. ↑ In 1992, just as galactocentrism was coming into vogue. Baby steps, baby steps.

[edit] See also

• Relativity
• Galileo gambit

[edit] No relation

• Gatewood Galbraith