This week we turn to Galileo Galilei an Italian philosopher, astronomer and mathematician who lived 1564- 1642. A true polymath, Galileo made many contributions to our understanding of nature and the cosmos. In his lifetime Galileo famously upset the Catholic Church for championing the Copernican heliocentric system resulting in Galileo being tried by the Inquisition which convicted him of heresy. Galileo was sentenced to house arrest for the remainder of his life.
To celebrate Galileo, we present a set of four books that are a compilation of his works. Opere di Galileo Galilei was published in 1744 in Padua by Nella Stamperia del Seminario, appresso Gio. My fascination of Galileo comes from his observations using newly invented telescopes to study the solar system. Galileo laid the foundation to a mechanical understanding of nature, with the central idea being that all of nature is composed of matter in motion. He argued the materiality of nature, that the matter in the heavens was the same of that on Earth. This materiality is present in his observations of our moon, with the use of shading to represent the ridges and valleys of the moonâs craters. Galileo also discovered the orbit of Jupiterâs moons by observing the planet through a telescope over time. These findings were presented in Galileoâs treatise Sidereus Nuncius, or âStarry Messenger,â first published in 1610. This experience of observation is recreated for the viewer, which could be referred to as âvirtual witnessing.â Page after page recreates Galileoâs observations and the movement of Jupiterâs moons. This is just one of many examples of Galileoâs findings that are featured in Opere di Galileo Galilei, which also includes really lovely astronomical illustrations.
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