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XXVII GENERAL ASSEMBLY
AUGUST 03 - 14, 2009 -
Rio de Janeiro - Brazil
The Legacies of Galileo
Franco Pacini www.astro.unifi.it
Dipartimento di Astronomia, Universitá degli Studi di Firenze
Firenze, Italy
August 5, 2009 - 18:00 hr
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The proclamation of 2009 as International Year of Astronomy (I.Y.A.)
coincides with the 400th anniversary of the great discoveries by Galileo.
Galileo is regarded as one of the founders of modern experimental science.
It is therefore interesting to consider the heritage which he has left
behind and its importance for today.s science.
For instance, Galileo was able to build lenses far superior in optical
quality than those developed a few years earlier by other scientist.
The relationship between the quality of instrumentation and scientific
results has been confirmed by the history of astronomy over the last 400 years.
Galileo was not only a great scientist but he also recognized the
importance of science in society. He stated clearly that scientific
discoveries should be communicated to ordinary citizens using their
language and not Latin.
Today's world is embedded with science and technology. More and more
often citizens are (or will be) asked to express their opinions about
issues which involve scientific knowledge (e.g. nuclear energy, genetics,
etc...). The views of Galileo are thus becoming more and more relevant
for the progress of science.
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National Organizing Committee - NOC
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www.astronomy2009.com.br
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