William Shea 19/10/2009

Cátedra Galileo de Historia de la Ciencia Università di Padova. Italia
Madrid, 19 de octubre de 2009 An instrument can change the world and compel us to rethink our place in the universe. The telescope did just this, but only when it was used by Galileo, whose eye was prepared to see new things and whose hand was able to depict what he saw. It was not only because Galileo was a gifted and persistent observer, but also because he was an exceptional draughtsman that he was able to discover what others had failed to see or lacked the ability to record. With his new instrument, Galileo was able to make eight discoveries, and all of them were confirmed except the last whose correct interpretation was beyond his ken. This was exciting news, and we shall see why.