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Galileo spotted three faint stars near Jupiter that shifted positions nightly, p
Featured Event 1610 Event

January 7

Galileo Spots Jupiter's Moons: The Church Won't Like This

Galileo spotted three faint stars near Jupiter that shifted positions nightly, proving they orbited the giant planet rather than Earth. This discovery shattered Aristotelian cosmology by revealing a second center of motion in the heavens, compelling astronomers to abandon geocentric models and accept a solar system where planets could have their own moons.

January 7, 1610

416 years ago

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