Quiz | Easy like Sunday morning: All you need to know about Galileo

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February 15, 1564 is the birthdate of Galileo Galilei, the Italian polymath. He was responsible for advancing astronomy, physics, and mathematics in his lifetime. Despite this, he spent the last nine years of his life under house arrest by the Catholic Church. What did he do to earn this punishment?

Answer : He said that the earth revolves around the sun and not vice versa.

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In 1586, Flemish scientist Simon Stevin described an experiment in which he dropped two balls of lead, one 10 times heavier than the other, from a height of 30 feet. Both fell at the same time, disproving Greek philosopher Aristotle’s claim that heavier objects fall faster in proportion to their weight. Galileo planned to do the same experiment using the unique properties of which famous landmark in his hometown?

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Dutch scientist Christiaan Huygens invented this device in 1656 based on the principles discovered by Galileo. He came up with the idea after watching a chandelier swing across a room. What was this invention that was a huge leap forward in time-keeping?

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In July 1609, Thomas Harriot pointed a telescope at the moon for the first time and was surprised by what he saw Four months later, Galileo did the same and was the first to realise what he was seeing. What was this?

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Galileo was also the first to notice that in the initial days following a new moon, a mysterious secondary light appears on the moon that does not come directly from the sun. It wasn’t until 359 years later that astronauts aboard Apollo 8 saw it in person when orbiting the moon. What is this unique lunar phenomenon?

Answer : Earthshine (light of Earth rising over the lunar horizon)

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The Galilean moons are so called because Galileo was the first to have seen and recognised them. Till 1892, they were the only ones, but now there are 91 more. These were the very first objects discovered in the solar system with a telescope. What are they?

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Since 3 BCE, an idea for this device has existed, but it was in 1593 that Galileo discovered the specific principle of the device and built it. It was a simple glass tube with clear liquid and small glass vessels. He was able to show that the density of the liquid changed under certain conditions and could now be visualised. What did he create?

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Giovanni Faber, a friend of Galileo’s, was curator of the Vatican Botanical Garden. Galileo showed him a device with a concave and convex lens, which he called ‘little eye’. What name did Faber suggest, which is what we call the device now?

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In 1610, Galileo became the first person to observe this iconic entity with his telescope. He first thought it was a new planet. The next time he tried to view them, they had disappeared and then reappeared. He noted them down as ‘ears’. What was this, which became apparent only after his death?

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In 2021, Galileo became the only scientist other than Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin, to be mentioned in Rolling Stone’s iconic ‘500 Greatest Songs of All Time’. Newton and Darwin appear in R.E.M’s ‘Man on the Moon’ ranked at no.389. In which song, ranked no.17, is Galileo mentioned?

Answer : ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ by Queen

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