BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Galileo Galilei has been called the father of modern astronomy, the father of modern physics and the father of modern science. As the international science community celebrates the 400th anniversary of Galileo turning his telescope to the skies, Illinois Wesleyan University Professor of Physics Linda French talked about the continuing influence of this Renaissance man.
“Anyone who has ever taken physics, or even looked through a telescope, has some knowledge of Galileo’s findings,” said French, of the man who discovered four moons of Jupiter, and promoted the idea that the earth was not the center of the universe.
It was the latter idea that ran Galileo into trouble with the Inquisition. “I think more people remember him for his problems with the Inquisition than his mathematical interpretation of physical properties,” she said. “Whether he wanted to or not, he fought a battle that had to be fought.”