are mightily disturbed to have the moonalone revolve about the earth
Its crazy to think he stood alone against a massive community. Spreading new information like this was disastrous for himself but he spread it because he believed it to be the truth. Requires so much bravery to do that.
as doVenus and Mercury about the sun,
Galileo supported the idea that the planets of the solar system revolved around the sun. This was a direct violation of the law as it contradicted the Christian belief that the earth was the center of the universe. Technically heresy by 1500 standards.
here are more than five hundred newstars distributed among the old ones
Its very cool to see a map of this detail at this point in time. Galileo is able to map out the entire positions of stars measure the distances between them as well as the earth. The difficulty of maping constellations with so many stars is seen through the diagram. 500 stars within one or two degrees of each other
precipitous crags having rough and jagged peaks, standout starkly in sharp contrasts of light and shade.
Its interesting to see the depth of Galileo's descriptions. He goes into such analysis and detail within even the varying creators of the moon. This deep description takes the reader through his journey as he reaches his conclusion. Its also interesting to see his notes on the shifting of creators. He thought they grew and shrank in size, disappearing and reappearing as well.
Perhaps other things,still more remarkable, will in time be discovered by me or by other observers with the aid of such an instrument
Galileo is speculating about the future of his new invention: the spyglass. I can imagine this type of discovery was revolutionary during this time. A game changer for the entire scientific community.