Galileo's Telescope Observations of the Moon (1609)

Name: Galileo's Telescope Observations of the Moon (1609)
Start: 1609
End: 1610

Type Event Region Italy Time 1609–1610

In autumn 1609 Galileo Galilei improved and used a telescope in Padua to systematically observe the Moon, finding mountains, craters, and terrain rel…

Timeline

1609Padua · ItalyGalileo made optical improvements to the telescope in Padua and repeatedly observed the changing phases of the Moon at about 9–30x magnification, recording irregular terrain near the lunar terminator.
1609–1610Padua · ItalyGalileo drew sketches of the lunar surface, arguing that mountains and depressions existed, and estimated peak heights from shadow lengths, directly challenging the traditional notion of perfect, immutable celestial bodies.

Sources

Sidereus Nuncius — Galileo Galilei (1610)
Galileo's Observations of the Moon https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/galileo/