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Four hundred years ago today, Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de’ Galilei demonstrated his first telescope to Venetian lawmakers. It was from this and other stronger telescopes that Galileo was able to discover mind-blowing details about our universe. His notion of a heliocentric system would cost him his freedom by the Roman Catholic Church, while his advancements in mathematics, motion and astronomy would earn him titles from the Father of Physics to the Father of Modern Science. We’ll look back at the life, achievements and legacy of Galileo Galilei.

Guests

• John Gianforte, astronomy instructor for the Granite State College, professor of Physics at the University of New Hampshire and co-founder of the Astronomical Society of Northern New England; he has researched and lectured extensively on Galileo's accomplishments this year as part of the International Year of Astronomy
• Dava Sobel, award-winning former science writer for the New York Times and author of several books including Longitude and Galileo’s Daughter