Using this telescope he saw: 1. That the moon had mountains and craters. 2. The Milky Way was made up of many stars. 3. There were four moons circling around Jupiter. These discoveries led him to believe that Copernicus was right.
Galileo’s trial
His book called Dialogue on the Two Chief World Systems (1632) supported Copernicus’s views. Galileo was asked to appear before the Inquisition (a court set up to question those who held views different to those of the Church) in Rome. The court claimed his beliefs were ‘foolish and absurd’. The trial lasted several months and Galileo was worried he might be burnt at the stake if he was found guilty. He reluctantly agreed to say that his views were wrong. He was sent back to his house in Florence and was not allowed to leave it nor have any guests for the rest of his life. He went blind in 1637 and died five years later. In 1997, the Catholic Church officially recognised they had made a mistake in condemning Galileo.
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Fig 5.32 Having heard about Jan Lippershey’s invention of a telescope, Galileo promptly made his own.
Fig 5.33 Galileo facing the Inquisition in Rome at which it was decided that he would be placed under house arrest for the rest of his life.
RECALL
1. What did Ptolemy write about in Geography? 2. Why do you think the Church supported Ptolemy’s views?
3. What was the new belief that Copernicus wrote about in his book?
4. Why did he only publish his book at the end of his life?
5. What was Galileo supposed to have proved when he dropped two objects from the tower in Pisa?
6. What invention allowed Galileo see the moon and the stars better?
7. What discoveries did Galileo make about the moon, stars and planets?
8. What did these discoveries lead him to realise? 9. Why was Galileo asked to go to Rome and what happened to him there?