Galileo’s Amazing
Discoveries
What
What
explanations did he create?
How
were these theories tested?
How
Galileo
did he see?
did he share the information?
Galileo’s Observations

Moon’s Surface
Galileo
The Moon’s Rough Surface
Craters & Mountains
 Counter to Aristotelean idea (& Catholic
Church) that "heavens" were perfect…

Galileo
Sunspots
More proof heavens weren't perfect.
 Systematic observations of the motion of
the sunspots that indicated the Sun was
rotating on its axis.

Galileo
Moons Orbiting Jupiter
Galileo
Moons Orbiting Jupiter

Jupiter's moons clearly did NOT orbit the
Earth, as the geocentric model required

Jupiter could hold onto its moons while it
clearly moved across the sky, so the Earth
could also do the same with its Moon.
Galileo
Stars in the Milky Way
millions of stars in the Milky Way
 Fuzzy white Milky Way had millions and
millions of stars

Galileo
Saturn’s Bulge


Non-uniform shape of
Saturn = the heavens
weren't perfect.
Saturn was NOT round,
and the "bulges" of the
rings were proof that
the planets weren’t
simple spheres moving
in the sky.
Galileo
Venus’ Phases

Changing sizes & phases of Venus.


Seeing BOTH prove it had to be orbiting the
Sun, and not Earth.
If Venus orbited the Sun, then it didn't orbit
Earth, and the Geocentric model was
wrong.
Galileo
Venus’ Phases
Galileo
The Process of Science
Observation
 Description of Experiments
 Encouragement for others to repeat
 Sharing Hypotheses
 Publishing for Others to Read
 Revising explanations

Galileo