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The telescope from
Galileo had a magnification of only 30 times. When Galileo looked for the
first time with his telescope at the Milky-Way he was astonished about the
band of light that stretched across the night sky . Galileo looked at
Jupiter and he thought that he saw several new stars near the planet. He
discovered four great moons on Jupiter being Io Gallisto Ganymede -and
-Europa. They are moving around the planet Jupiter. Galileo determined their
orbital periods and he realized that Jupiter and its moons were a mini solar
system . Galileo was convinced that his observations were valid and he
proved the truth of the copernican model of the Universe.
Over the next quarter century Galileo made
numerous investigations into the mechanics of motion and weight. Early on he
was intrigued by Archimedes investigations into specific gravity and
published a work entitled La Balancitta. Galileo's
bent was as scientific as mathematical, he suggested methods
of testing the behavior of falling bodies using inclined
planes.
In Padua he gave private instruction
in military engineering, mechanics, and astronomy, and made his home into a
hostel for his students. Galileo was also creative in devising practical
machines: he invented the first accurate clock, an efficient water pump, a
precision compass and a thermometer. The Legend is that Galileo tested
Aristotle's theories of falling bodies a demonstation that all Europe could
hear. He is supposed to have climbed to the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa
and simultaneously dropped two cannon balls, one ten times heavier than the
other. Galileo's proofs were all reached by the geometric methods of the
Greeks. He valued experiment and personal experience over established
authority, and while he was both celebrated and criticized for these views
in his own time. |
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The
great
astronomer Galileo was the first who looked in the
telescope and saw the planets and stars for the first
time. Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) can be considered as
the father of modern physics for astronomy and optics. Galileo was born in
Pisa and his father was a musician. Galileo became fascinated with
mathematics and geometry through a friend who was teaching astronomy and
geometry in Padua. In the summer of 1609, Galileo heard about a spyglass
that a Dutchman had shown in Venice. From these reports, and using his own
technical skills as a mathematician and as a workman, Galileo made a series
of telescopes whose optical performance was much better than that of the
Dutch instrument.Hans Lippershey made his first telescope in Holland which
was an open tube with glass lenses at each end.
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