Idaho Skies Transcript for February 13th and 14th

RACHEL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for February 13th and 14th. We’re your hosts, Rachel...

PAUL
...and Paul.

RACHEL
Idaho Skies celebrates Galileo’s birthday this week.

PAUL
He was born on February 15, 1564 in Pisa, Italy.

RACHEL
After graduation, he took a teaching post at University of Pisa.

PAUL
There, he wrote about some of the problems with Aristotle’s description of motion.

RACHEL
Because of his writings and his difficult personality, the university did not rehire him.

PAUL
So he accepted a position at the university of Padua teaching math and mechanics.

RACHEL
It was there in July 1609 that he heard about a Dutchman’s new invention, an optical tube capable of magnifying images.

PAUL
Galileo quickly figured out the principle involved and made his own telescope capable of a magnification of three power.

RACHEL
He turned his telescope heavenward in the fall of 1609.

PAUL
Now Galileo was a supporter the Copernican Hypothesis, or that the planets, including Earth orbited the sun.

RACHEL
And through his telescope, he found evidence supporting the Copernican Hypothesis.

PAUL
That included observations like the phases of Venus, the presence of moons orbiting Jupiter, and that the moon was pock marked with craters.

RACHEL
In 1610, Galileo published his findings.

PAUL
He wrote his book in Italian, rather than Latin so that the common person could understand what he had discovered.

RACHEL
The book’s name was The Starry Messenger.

PAUL
And it became very popular and made Galileo famous.

RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 13th and 14th of February.

PAUL
Be sure to read our blog for additional information. It’s at idahoskies.blogspot.com

For Idaho Skies this is Paul...

RACHEL
...and Rachel.

PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.