Or how about, in Galileo’s case, the telescope. The ones he built, tinkered with for years, so he, we could observe stars beyond what we thought we could see.
The way he changed what we know of the world. The massive moons of Jupiter he discovered in 1610. The geometry of motion. That we indeed live within a heliocentric universe. A little fact that got him convicted of heresy and put on house arrest for the remainder of his life.
It’s not terrible to be afraid of what we see magnified. It’s human. It tests who we are, where we fit in the larger cosmic shuffle. It gives sway to the notion that as small as we are, every moment is ours to make large. That’s no grand epiphany, I know, but some days I just need to remind myself of it. Don’t we all?
Like this: I love the way his name sounds, want to repeat it like a mantra. Galileo Galilei. Say it. Again.
So, here’s a little love for our man G, from Queen.
And in this book, an interesting read: Galileo’s Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith, And Love by Dava Sobel
And how about a black-and-white cookie (half moon anyone?) recipe from Epicurious.
“Wine is sunlight, held together by water.” Galileo Galilei
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Today's Poetic Asides poem prompt: write an under-the-miscroscope poem.