He was a brilliant scientist-inventor, philosopher, mathematician and astronomer. Like a lion, he defended his views. He often pushed against the tide, making claims that were not always in accord with the mind of the general public. Galileo and his story are also proof that justice will always be done. Even if 300 years have passed.
Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de Galilei known as Galileo or Galileo was born in 1564 in the Italian city of Pisa. He was the eldest son of a well-born but somewhat impoverished nobleman Vincenzo Galilei - an outstanding music theorist, lute player and wool trader. Whereas the mother of the future inventor was Giulia Ammannati. Little is known about his childhood. Apparently, from an early age he specialized in drawing and - probably inspired and trained by his father - in music.
Characteristic student
Galileo received his basic education at home. He then continued his studies at the convent of Santa Maria di Vallombrosa, where he was admitted as a novice to the Jesuit Order. He liked to learn, becoming one of the best students in the class over time. He also considered the priesthood. He was 15 at the time. As soon as Vincenzo Galilei heard about his son's plans, he immediately took him from the monastery . This was not how he imagined his descendant's path.
Instead of the habit, Galileo was to wear medical robes. At the age of 17, once again guided by his father, he enrolled in medicine at the University of Pisa. During three years of study, he gained the status of an unwavering debater, sometimes even an adventurer who always stood up for his arguments . No matter who, where or what he chatted about. He could deny the theories of ancient philosophers and scientists, such as Aristotle and Ptolemy. Most likely, it was during this period that he also learned the heliocentric theory of Nicolaus Copernicus, according to which the Sun is at the center of the Solar System, and all planets - including the Earth - revolve around it. He agreed with the Toruń astronomer, again being in opposition to the generally accepted principles - this attitude led to a famous trial a few years later.
Galileo was able to negate the theories of ancient philosophers and scientists, such as Aristotle and Ptolemy
At the university, Galileo also attended Ostilii Ricci's lectures on geometry (he had not been fully acquainted with mathematics before) and he became so interested in this field of science that his father began to fear that his son would abandon medicine because mathematics was much more to him. He had to intervene again.
Galileo, he did not complete his studies. The reason was as old as the world. It was all about money - the Galilee family could not afford the tuition fees. The interested person himself tried to have the university authorities exempt him from fees, but to no avail . In 1585 he returned home. This is where the story could end. Except that Galileo did not return empty-handed. He already had some interesting inventions and a character that would not let him stop. And science again demanded him. In 1589 he returned to the University of Pisa. This time as a math teacher.
Some inventions
It was 1583 that Galileo discovered the law of the pendulum. According to some accounts - and you must know that there are countless legends about the activities of this outstanding scientist - while walking around the cathedral square in Pisa, he noticed lamps hanging on ropes, which were swayed by the wind. Intrigued by this phenomenon, a few years later he examined the isochronism of the pendulum more closely and used it to measure time. This method was the most accurate measurement method until the 1930s, until the use of quartz clocks. Three years later, he built a hydrostatic balance. Using the description of Philo of Byzantium in 1593, Galileo built a thermoscope - a simple device for detecting temperature differences.
Galileo discovered, among others Jupiter's moons
In 1602, as a university lecturer in Padua, he formulated the law of free body fall. It was completely contrary to the hitherto binding principle created by Aristotle . According to her, bodies with greater mass were supposed to fall with greater acceleration. Galileo has proved that this is not so. What is more - and here again a legend can be cited - he was supposed to take a light, wooden piece and a heavy stone, go up the tower and at the same time drop both items on the ground. They landed simultaneously. This experiment only confirms the understanding of Galileo science - it was supposed to be based on experience.
Astronomer and defender of Copernicus
Who knows if Galileo's most important discovery was not the astronomical use of the telescope. It started with the fact that in 1604 the scientist learned about the observation of a new star, now called SN 1604. This event sparked a huge interest in astronomy in which he decided to delve into the meanders. A brilliant mind prompted Galileo to give a series of private lectures on the subject a few months later.
In 1608 he heard about the invention of the telescope in Holland. It was created by the local lens grinders and opticians Hans Lippershey. A year later, Galileo designed and built a similar device with two lenses (biconvex was the lens, biconcave - an eyepiece) . He invited the Venetian entourage who willingly used the device.
"Many nobles and senators, regardless of their advanced age, scratched me at the top of Venice's highest bell tower to track ships at sea sailing to the port that they would not be able to see without the aid of the telescope, not even in two hours, for it would do things fifty miles away as if they were two hours away. " - the inventor wrote in one of the letters
Moon phases drawn by Galileo
The telescope could help the Venetians predict possible movements of hostile ships. But Galileo himself, directing it to the sky, decided to use it more peacefully. Thanks to this, he discovered the mountains on the moon, saw the Milky Way break into separate stars, saw the moons of Jupiter, the phases of Venus, sunspots and the rotation of the sun on its axis.
"What was presented as perfect, and therefore spherically smooth, turned out to be rough. What has been depicted as unchanging is changeable, the stars and planets move, other planets have moons like earth, and these orbit them like the rotation of the planets around the sun. It was all a real revolution ” - said the astrophysicist Dr. Stanisław Bajtlik to the Polish Radio.
Galileo described his discoveries in the book Sidereus nuncius ( Message of the stars ), which made him known throughout Europe. Later, the work Istoria e dimostrazioni intorno alle macchie solari was published ( History and evidence for sunspots ). And his troubles began.
Galileo Process
Galileo's growing influence, independence of thought, and his staunch opposition to Aristotle's teachings contributed to the formation of an aggressive circle of his opponents, consisting of itinerant professors and some church leaders. The most irritating issue, especially for the Church, was the propaganda of the heliocentric world system - the one whose face was Nicolaus Copernicus and which Galileo defended . According to the Church's teaching at that time, it was the Earth that was "the center of everything" and every celestial body revolved around it. Including the sun. Any other opinion was considered heresy by the clergy.
Galileo often pushed against the tide and defended his arguments, so he decided to convince his opponents. In 1611, he even went to Rome. He showed Pope Paul V and the cardinals a telescope, he tried to prove that Copernicus's theories do not contradict church science. Nevertheless, in 1616, the Inquisition recognized that his bold actions and outspoken views were dangerous. On February 24, 1616, eleven qualifiers (experts of the Inquisition) officially recognized heliocentrism as a dangerous heresy, and Copernicus's book On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres was included in the Index of Forbidden Books. It happened 73 years after the author's death. Galileo himself, at the behest of the pope, then met Cardinal Bellarmino. Physicist prof. Andrzej Hennel presented that situation as follows:
"Interestingly, we don't have a clear idea of what ultimately happened then. According to the document Galileo received at the request of the same cardinal, we are told that he was warned - by the order of the Holy Congregation - to abandon the conviction he had so far held that the sun is the center of the spheres and is stationary, and the earth is moving. And he agreed to it. ”
Galileo before the Roman Inquisition
In short, according to this version, the genius was to stop believing in the heliocentric theory. But he was not forbidden to discuss her. On the other hand, in the Vatican acts there was a second document in which the position of the Church was much stricter - because it was completely forbidden to proclaim, discuss and translate the theory of Copernicus. Galileo was supposed to agree with the content of the letter. These two documents spawned a multitude of conspiracy theories. There was even talk of faking the latter.
Seven years later, Matteo Barberini, an old acquaintance and friend of Galileo, was elected the new Pope. He took the name of Urban VIII. The genius hoped that an acquaintance with the most important person in the Church, open to scientific discussions, would make the provisions of 1616 withdrawn . Unfortunately for him, nothing has changed about that.
In 1632, Galileo's most famous book was published in Florence - Dialogo ... sopra i due massimi sistemi del mondo Telemaico e Copernicano ( Dialogue on the two most important world systems:Ptolemy and Copernicus) . The author juxtaposed three people:the first defended the Copernican theory, the second - the Ptolemaic theory, and the third was supposed to be neutral, although she was clearly closer to the views of the astronomer from Toruń. This event initiated the second trial. Galileo himself later believed that the initiative of the trial belonged to the Jesuits, who presented the Pope with an extremely biased denunciation about his latest work.
Seven years later, Matteo Barberini, an old acquaintance and friend of Galileo, was elected the new Pope. He took the name of Urban VIII
As a result of an inconsistent vote by members of the tribunal (seven were for conviction, three were against), Galileo was forced to withdraw his views, and his Dialogue it found its way to the Index of Prohibited Books. In addition, the scientist was placed under house arrest . However, he could work, which resulted in two books - published before his death -, including one on mechanics. He was not declared a heretic, but "strongly suspected of heresy." Legend has it that even during the trial, the genius stuck with it. While reading the sentence, he said:
"It's still spinning ..."
Better late than never
Galileo died on January 8, 1642. Even before his death, he complained about the injustice to which he became a victim. In letters to trusted friends, he ridiculed the ignorant and adherents of the previous views. He knew they were untrue. He also lost his eyesight, so he had to base his further scientific work on close students.
On October 30, 1992, the Vatican concluded that the Church had made a mistake in condemning the Italian astronomer.
In the common mind, Galileo is a person associated with the Church's opposition to modern science. For a long time, he was even considered a martyr. After more than 300 years, in 1981, John Paul II appointed a special commission to investigate the trial against Galileo. On October 30, 1992, the Vatican ruled that the Church had made a mistake in condemning the Italian astronomer. Justice has been done.