Cover Page of Sidereus Nuncius

Cover Page of Sidereus Nuncius

This is an image of the cover page of Galileo’s Sidereus Nuncius, usually translated as Starry Messenger. The book describes Galileo’s early discoveries with his telescope, foremost of which were the four moons of Jupiter. Galileo named these the Medician Stars, as can be seen on the cover page, honoring the powerful Medici family of Italy (Wiesner-Hanks 378). He did this because the Medici family was Galileo’s primary patron, supporting him in his quest for science. This patronage demonstrates the growing relationship between scientists and the nobility in the mid to late 16^th Writers and other artists had had patrons for centuries before, and the nobility often sent their children to universities for education, but the fact that scientists were being brought into the system of patronage is significant. It shows that their work was valued and supported by the nobility of the time. Galileo’s dedication is his way of repaying the Medici’s support by honoring them in his discoveries. This patronage shows that education in early 17^th century was not merely viewed as a means to an end, but that scientific discovery was valuable for nothing other than its educational purposes and regarded as a legitimate art form and profession. With this book, Galileo began his assertions against an Aristotelian and Ptolemean universe, instead advocating for a Copernican system. These claims brought him into conflict with the Church, and he was arrested in 1633, though his discoveries had been widely publicized and influenced many other thinkers around the world (Wiesner-Hanks 378).

Galileo Galilei

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sidereus_Nuncius_1610.Galileo.jpg

1610

Benjamin Wightman