As a founding father in the fields of physics and astronomy, Galileo Galilei is known for countless contributions to science. The Italian thinker emphasized a methodical and mathematical approach to the study of the universe and inspired the modern scientific method which remains a foundation of scientific research even 380 years after his death. His innovations in the field of motion and gravity are equally exceptional and laid the foundations of today’s physics and made him one of the the greatest scientists of all time. But all of those contributions are overshadowed by his astronomical observations, which have highlighted spots on the sun, craters on the moon, and stars throughout the Milky Way — not to mention his monumental discoveries about how the cosmos revolves around of the sun.
What are some interesting facts about Galileo Galilei?
“I have discovered many things in the heavens which had not been seen before our age”, Galileo written in 1615. Indeed, he transformed the way people perceived the world – and had a life and career that some may not be so familiar with. Here are 12 intriguing facts about Galileo Galilei that you might not know:
Galileo Galilei’s names sound similar on purpose
He was born in Tuscany, Italy in 1564 when parents frequently provided their sons names of people inspired by their traditional family identifiers. In fact, Galileo’s ancestors used the terms “Galileo” and “Galilei” interchangeably as a surname over the years. Although it seems confusing today, people at that time perceived naming conventions to be quite flexible. Most Italians, including Galileo, would have introduced themselves with a single name, which they sometimes supplemented with their profession, hometown, father’s first name, or traditional surname.
He was a real Renaissance man (even as a boy)
Throughout his adulthood, Galileo worked as an astronomer, physicist, philosopher, inventor, and mathematician. His status as an academic polymath can be traced back to his childhood. Galileo already showed skill in these subjects as a child, as well as an aptitude in several artistic fields. He learned all about music from his father, Vincenzo Galilei, who worked as a court musician and composer. These lessons inspired Galileo’s passion for several instruments, in particular the lute, which he is supposed to control in “the charm of style and the delicacy of touch” as a boy. Galileo also cultivated artistic talent during his childhood and seriously considered a career as a painter. In fact, later in life, Galileo joined the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno (Academy of Drawing Arts) in Florence and advised the best painters of the time on chiaroscuro and point of view.
The scientist dropped out of college
Because of his exceptional intelligence, Galileo was sent to study at the University of Pisa at 16 years old. There, the young man first enrolled as a medical student but became increasingly fascinated with mathematics. The world, Galileo will finally write, “is written in mathematical language, and its characters are triangles, circles, and other geometrical figures, without which it is humanly impossible to understand a word.” But in 1585, forced financial constraints the aspiring researcher to drop out of university. Galileo continued to research mathematics independently and as a tutor until 1589, when he triumphantly returned to the institution – this time as a professor of mathematics in his own right.
He was known as a (and controversial) drama teacher
Galileo’s lectures on mathematics, mechanics and astronomy attracted serious attention. In fact, one of Galileo’s students, Vincenzo Viviani, claims that crowds formed as the Professor threw objects from the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa and showed once and for all that the speed of their fall was isolated from their weight. (After all, this theory clashed with accepted thinking at the time.) Galileo’s work on motion propelled the researcher to become a major academic player, although he initiated arguments with other academics who were insulted that the professor undermined the very theories assigned to him. teach. In 1592, Galileo’s contract at the University of Pisa expired and the scholar moved to the University of Padua, where he worked from 1592 to 1610. As Galileo’s career progressed, controversies were also increasing.
Galileo was never married, but he started a family
Throughout the Renaissance, scholars and rarely married academics. So, according to this tradition, Galileo never tied the knot. That said, the scholar was associated with a woman named Marina Gamba, with whom he raised three children: Virginia (b. 1600), Livia (b. 1601), and Vincenzo (b. 1606). Eventually, their two daughters joined the Convent of San Matteo inArcetriand their son pursued a career as a musician.
He was a prolific inventor
Galileo is praised for several important inventions, including the thermoscope (forerunner of the modern thermometer which indicates temperature fluctuations) and several forms of sectors, also known as military compasses. The latter tool was used for multiplication and division and for finding square and cube roots, among other mathematical functions. Galileo sold these inventions to supplement his teaching salary.
Galileo turned the telescope skyward
In 1609, Galileo learned an invention in the Netherlands this made distant objects appear much closer, and the scientist immediately moved to do something similar. One of the many interesting facts about Galileo Galilei is that although he was not the first to shape the telescope, his work with the tool was certainly innovative. The astronomer improved the tool to magnify objects up to 20 to 30 times and, far more famously, was one of the first individuals to point it to the sky.
The views from his telescope shook the world
Galileo’s observations revealed that many more stars were scattered across the sky than previously believed; that the surface of the moon was steep and covered with craters; and the sun was splashed with sunspots. These discoveries suggested for the first time that the celestial world was far from perfect. Galileo also observed that a strange ring surrounds Saturn, that four satellite moons move around Jupiter, and that Venus goes through phases that mirror that of our own moon – proving that this “sister planet” really does revolve around the sun. These observations would prove imperative to breaking the then prevalent theory that the universe was centered around the Earth.
He was all the rage among royalty
These astronomical breakthroughs, described in a 1610 text, Sidereus Nuncius (The Sidereal Messenger), drew serious attention to the scholar. Galileo capitalized on the publicity by dedicating the text to the ruler of Tuscany, Cosimo II de’ Medici, and by naming Jupiter’s satellites the “Medician stars” after the same character, who was a previous student of his (and who would become a patron of the arts and sciences). This sort of gesture was prevalent throughout the Renaissance, and many influential people claimed to support artists and scholars to increase their personal prestige. For his discoveries, Galileo was rewarded with a date in Cosimo’s courtyard.
Galileo clashed with the Church (but not with Catholicism itself)
Although these telescopic observations proved to Galileo that the universe was centered around the sun, his increasingly outspoken support for “heliocentrism” had serious consequences. At the time, the Catholic Church was struggling to maintain the traditional model of the cosmos, and in 1616 it heliocentrism denounced as “foolish and absurd” and “formally heretical”, as it seemed to contradict several passages in the Bible. Accordingly, Galileo avoided the subject publicly until 1632, when he published Dialogue concerning the two main world systems, who seemed to ardently support heliocentrism. Galileo was immediately put on trial by the Vatican, after which he was determined to be “violently suspected of heresy” and sentenced to house arrest for an indefinite period. Although Galileo is famous for this conflictthe scholar was surprisingly devout in his personal life: he was raised as a devout catholic and even saw the priesthood as a potential career.
He was blinded (but not by the sun)
Galileo continued to work and write while imprisoned for heresy in his home near Florence, and during this time his vision began to blur. By 1638, the astronomer had become completely blind. Although it was thought at the time that his blindness resulted from staring at the sun, this condition was probably caused by cataracts and glaucoma.
The astronomer continues to point to the sky
If you are curious to know more about Galileo Galilei, today the Galileo Museum in Florence is home to the world’s largest collection of Galilean trinkets and tools, including two surviving telescopes that continue to inspire scientific minds. Interestingly enough, these telescopes appear alongside several of Galileo’s telescopes detached fingers, which have been removed of his body by ardent devotees after his death. Today these fingers are displayed pointing upwards, pushing people to keep questioning and refining their conceptions of the cosmos.