this post was submitted on 16 Sep 2023
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[–] [email protected] 47 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Fun fact about Galileo and the Moon. Late in life, Galileo discovered the librations of the moon, small oscillations in the Moon's orientation that allow us to peek at small bits of the dark side. At the time of this discovery, he was already 68 and in the process of going blind. He went completely blind a few years later.

[–] [email protected] 60 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Fun fact

He went completely blind a few years later.

this got progressively less fun as it went along

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 years ago

yep, it took a dark turn.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Really cool. Are there any details about it?

[–] [email protected] 14 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Here's the article on the pamphlet that Galileo published the pictures in:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidereus_Nuncius

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 years ago

Thanks, interesting read.

Can you imagine seeing for the first time Jupiter through a telescope?

And then he was put under house arrest by the catholic Church!

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Is this in a museum somewhere? Would be cool to see up close

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

I found a great scan of the original book on the Smithsonian website but I'm still unsure where it is located today.

https://library.si.edu/digital-library/book/sidereusnuncius00gali

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 years ago

Something about these is so calming, thanks Gal Gal.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago

Galileo Galileo