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Galileo Galilei
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| Galileo Galilei, an Italian physicist, astronomer, mathematician, and philosopher, contributed to the field of imaging science by improving the performance of early optical instruments and using them to expand mankind’s understanding of the universe. Whereas Galileo performed some of the first scientific observations with the microscope, he is best known for his many observations with the telescope. Galileo made his first telescope in 1609. Modeled after telescopes produced in other parts of Europe that could magnify objects three times, Galileo’s telescope could magnify objects twenty times. With this telescope, he was able to observe craters and mountains on the moon, discover four satellites of Jupiter, observe a supernova, verify the phases of Venus, and discover sunspots. His observations confirmed the Copernican model of the Solar System which states that the Earth and other planets revolve around the sun. |
Last Modified: 3:15pm 26 Feb 09
