Galileo& His Impact on Society essays

Galileo& His Impact on Society essays Known to some people as the father of modern science, Galileo impacted this field in such a way that he was put on trial for going against the Catholic Church's beliefs, because he supported the Copernican theory that the Earth revolved around the sun. The Church's belief was that the Earth was in the center of the universe and all heavenly bodies went around the Earth (geocentric theory or Ptolemaic theory, followers of Aristotle believed this too). His improvement on the telescope helped him see celestial objects in the night sky, which no one had ever done before (using a telescope to observe the heavens). He saw the imperfections of the universe, which offended the Church as well (the Church believed all celestial bodies were perfect). One of these observations were the dark spots on the sun (sunspots). During the trial, the Holy Office of the Inquisition (the Church) forced Galileo to say that he did not believe in Copernicus? theory. As he was being taken away to prison, it is said he had whispered,Eppur si muove,? But still it moves referring to the Earth. Galileo was an active and outgoing man. He had several friends, from professors and noblemen to members of the Church, artists, and traders. He loved to paint and write poetry, and he read literature so he could write his own books in a distinct and amusing style. Galileo Galilei is best known for enhancing the telescope, which was invented by a Dutchman named Hans Lippershey in 1608. He made the magnification of the then called spyglass about 32 to 33 times greater than the original. His telescope was the first one to be able to look at the night sky in detail. With the telescope, he discovered many things in the heavens above, and was able to disprove some arguments made about them. For example, he found out there were mountains, craters, and valleys on the moon. Because the Earth's moon was a heavenly object, many people did not believe his claims bec...