Martyr Galileo

Galileo brought a major scientific revolution in the seventeenth century.  Until then the Roman Catholic Church subscribed to the Ptolemaic model which placed the earth at the centre of the universe.   Galileo’s discovery of the telescope enabled him to confirm his support to heliocentrism that put sun at the centre of the universe.

Galileo was born on fifteenth February 1564 in Italy.  Today is his birthday.   A  happy day for the scientific world and the happiest day for the general public.  Galileo has been called ‘the father of observational astronomy’ ‘the father of modern physics’ and ‘the father of scientific method’.  His contributions to observational astronomy includes the telescopic confirmation of heliocentrism.

He wrote a book called ‘Dialogue: concerning the two chief world system’ and boldly made his arguments in favour of heliocentrism which infuriated the church. The church couldn’t stomach Galileo’s observation that the earth and the other planets orbit the sun.  Whereas the church believed that the sun and the other planets orbit the earth.  Galileo was sentenced to house arrest.

The church was very strong and science was very weak at that time. Mathematician Blordano was condemned as heretic (those who were against the church’s beliefs) and was burned by the church.  To avoid Blordano’s fate, Galileo gave the church undertaking that he would remove from the minds of all the faithful Christians this strong suspicion. Galileo remained in the house arrest until his death on eighth January 1642.

In 1992, Pope John Paul has acknowledged that the church had erred in condemning Galileo.  The pope’s address closed the probe into church’s condemnation of Galileo in 1663 and put an end to one of the history’s most notorious conflicts between faith and science.

Science triumphed.  So also Galileo triumphed.

Happy birth anniversary monsieur Galileo.