When you hear the name “Galileo Galilei,” what immediately comes to mind?
If you thought, “inventor of the telescope,” you’re not alone. I also wouldn’t be surprised if you thought “condemned by the Inquisition for believing the Earth orbited the sun.”
But neither of these are true. If you’ve been following my more recent astronomy posts, you probably realize why—in Galileo’s time, people already knew that the Earth moved around the sun.
The idea that he invented the telescope is more understandable…but, again, it’s not true.
So what is true about Galileo, and how did he contribute to our understanding of astronomy?
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Science at Your Doorstep 