Galileo's Moon Observations is a photograph by Library Of Congress, Rare Book And Special Collections Division/science Photo Library which was uploaded on February 23rd, 2021.
Galileo's Moon Observations
Galileo's Moon observations. Sketches of the Moon made by the Italian physicist, mathematician and astronomer Galileo Galilei (1564-1642). These... more
Title
Galileo's Moon Observations
Artist
Library Of Congress, Rare Book And Special Collections Division/science Photo Library
Medium
Photograph
Description
Galileo's Moon observations. Sketches of the Moon made by the Italian physicist, mathematician and astronomer Galileo Galilei (1564-1642). These pioneering observations were first made in 1610, using the telescopes that Galileo had built in 1608. Galileo saw that the terminator (the line between the Moon's night and day sides) was sometimes irregular and sometimes smooth. He deduced that the irregularities were due to mountains on the Moon, the first time Earth-like objects had been discovered in the heavens. This challenged the existing worldview that said the heavens were perfect and unchanging. This page is from the 1610 edition of 'Sidereus Nuncius'.
Uploaded
February 23rd, 2021