Tuesday, August 25, 2009

It was 400 years ago today: the lenses that shook the world

As we await the hoped-for launch of Discovery this week through another delay ...

Thanks to my old buddy Kevin for reminding me—he was far more than a shuttlecraft namesake:

400 Years Ago Today, Galileo Invented Astronomy and Modern Science

A wonderful "down to earth" essay from Astronomy Today, short of any pretentiousness puffery:

... Being a professor, he really just wanted to make some extra cash, and the telescope was marvelously useful to sailors, soldiers, and craftsmen alike.
Sound like a certain warp pioneer to you?

Seriously, take a read—and let's renew again the power of observational and empirical science over hearsay and myth. It's where Gene came from.

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