[The invention of the telescope enhanced one of our cognitive abilities, human vision. When you look at the moon with it, you can recognize that it’s bumpy. There were people who abstained from looking at the moon through a telescope because this was contrary to the belief of the present time.

I don’t want to be that person.

gpt.icon When [[Galileo Galilei]] observed the surface of the moon through his telescope, he discovered that it was bumpy. This was contrary to the belief at the time ([[Aristotle.]]'s theory that the moon was a perfect sphere), and his discovery caused quite a stir. However, there were those who did not believe in the telescope's observations. For example, a scholar named [[Francesco Sizzi]] denied Galileo's discovery, claiming that "[[t]]here is nothing invisible to the naked eye" about Jupiter's moons

Some of his contemporaries refused to even look through the telescope at all, so certain were they of Aristotle’s wisdom. “These satellites of Jupiter are invisible to the naked eye and therefore can exercise no influence on the Earth, and therefore would be useless, and therefore do not exist,” proclaimed nobleman Francesco Sizzi. Besides, said Sizzi, the appearance of new planets was impossible—since seven was a sacred number: “There are seven windows given to animals in the domicile of the head: two nostrils, two eyes, two ears, and a mouth…From this and many other similarities in Nature, which it were tedious to enumerate, we gather that the number of planets must necessarily be seven.”

  • Some of his contemporaries refused to even look through a telescope at all, and they were convinced of Aristotle’s wisdom. The nobleman Francesco Sizzi declared, “These satellites of Jupiter are invisible to the naked eye, and therefore cannot affect the earth, and therefore are useless, and therefore do not exist.” Besides, Sizzi said, the appearance of a new planet was impossible - because seven was a sacred number: “In the abode of the head there are seven windows given to animals: two nostrils, two eyes, two ears, and one mouth… From this and many other parallels in nature that are tedious to enumerate, it follows that the number of planets must necessarily be seven.

  • Galileo’s Revolutionary Vision Helped Usher In Modern Astronomy | Smithsonian

  • one must see with one’s own eyes


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