Feliz cumpleaños Galileo

On August 25, 1609, Galileo Galilei took a Dutch invention - the telescope - and improved upon it, creating a device that used the power of optics (a science involved much guesswork, since the details of optics were developed years later by Sir Isaac Newton) to view very distant objects as if they were close up. With this telescope, Galileo looked toward the sky and saw that other planets contained moons, and ushering in the age of telescopic astronomy. He also began conflicting with the orthodox biblical interpretations of the Catholic Church, which lead to him being placed under house arrest for heresy ... which just goes to show that no good deed goes unpunished.

Now, 400 years later, he is honored with a stylish Google logo.

Portrait of Galileo Galilei, painted by Justus Sustermans in 1636
Source: Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain

You can get more details on Galileo's discovery of the telescope at National Geographic. Learn more about astronomy at the About.com Space/Astronomy site (which is, incidentally, still looking for a new guide), or through the various activities promoted by the International Year of Astronomy 2009 program.

"Galileo Facing the Roman Inquisition" by Christiano Banti, 1857
Source: Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain