GalileoIn 1610, Galileo published the Siderius nuncius, or Starry Messenger, a "hurried little masterpiece" in John Heilbron's words. Presenting to the world his remarkable observations using the recently invented telescope--the craters of the moon, the satellites of Jupiter--Galileo dramatically challenged our idea of the perfection of the heavens and the centrality of the Earth in the universe. Indeed, the appearance of the little book is regarded as one of the great moments in the history of science. Planned to coincide with the 400th anniversary of the publication of the Starry Messenger, this is a major new biography of Galileo, a fresh and much more rounded view of the great scientist than found in earlier works. Unlike previous biographers, Heilbron shows us that Galileo was far more than a mathematician: he was deeply knowledgeable in the arts, an expert on the epic poet Ariosto, a fine lutenist. More important, Heilbron notes that years of reading the poets and experimenting with literary forms were not mere sidebars--they enabled Galileo to write clearly and plausibly about the most implausible things. Indeed, Galileo changed the world not simply because he revolutionized astronomy, but because he conveyed his discoveries so clearly and crisply that they could not be avoided or denied. If ever a discoverer was perfectly prepared to make and exploit his discovery, it was the dexterous humanist Galileo aiming his first telescope at the sky. In Galileo, John Heilbron captures not only the great scientist, but also the creative, artistic younger man who would ultimately become the champion of Copernicus, the bête-noire of the Jesuits, and the best-known of all martyrs to academic freedom. |
Contents
1 A Florentine Education | 1 |
2 A Tuscan Archimedes | 28 |
3 Life in the Serenissima | 64 |
4 Galilean Science | 110 |
5 Calculated Risks | 143 |
6 Miscalculated | 200 |
7 Vainglory | 253 |
8 End Games | 318 |
Genealogy | 366 |
Glossary of Names | 367 |
Notes | 389 |
451 | |
493 | |
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Common terms and phrases
Accademia Antonio Archimedes argument Aristotelian Aristotle Aristotle’s Assayer astrologer astronomers Barberini Bellarmine body Borro Bucciantini Camerota Campanella Cardinal cardinal nephew celestial Cesare Cremonini Cesarini Cesi Christina Ciampoli Cigoli Clavius comets Copernicus Cosimo Cremonini Dante Dialogue Diodati distance Drake earth Favaro Ferdinando figure find finding first five floating Florence Florentine Francesco Francesco Barberini Gali Galilaeana Galileo Galilei Giovanni Grand Duke Grassi Gualdo Guiducci heavens heresy heretical Holy Office Ibid Inchofer Inquisition Jesuit Kepler letter lynxes Maria Celeste mathematician mathematics Mazzoni Medici Micanzio Michelangelo moon motion motu move Niccolini Nuncius observations official ofthe Padua Paolo patron philosophers physics Pisa planets pope professor Ptolemy replied Riccardi Roman College Rome Sagredo Salviati Sarpi Sarsi Scheiner scripture scudi Sidereus nuncius Simplicio stars sunspots TCWS telescope tion Tuscany Tycho University Urban velocity Venetian Venice Vincenzo Vincenzo Galilei Vinta Viviani Welser wrote