 |
|
Galileo's notebooks may reveal secrets of new planet
July 09, 2009Galileo knew he had discovered a new planet in 1613, 234 years before its official discovery date, according to a new theory by a University of Melbourne physicist.
Professor David Jamieson, Head of the School of Physics, is investigating the notebooks of Galileo from 400 years ago and believes that buried in the notations is the evidence that he discovered a new planet that we now know as Neptune.
A hypothesis of how to look for this evidence has been published in the journal Australian Physics and was presented at the first lecture in the 2009 July Lectures in Physics program at the University of Melbourne last week.
If correct, the discovery would be the first new planet identified by humanity since deep antiquity.
Galileo was observing the moons of Jupiter in the years 1612 and 1613 and recorded his observations in his notebooks. Over several nights he also recorded the position of a nearby star which does not appear in any modern star catalogue.
"It has been known for several decades that this unknown star was actually the planet Neptune. Computer simulations show the precision of his observations revealing that Neptune would have looked just like a faint star almost exactly where Galileo observed it," Professor Jamieson says.
But a planet is different to a star because planets orbit the Sun and move through the sky relative to the stars. It is remarkable that on the night of January 28 in 1613 Galileo noted that the "star" we now know is the planet Neptune appeared to have moved relative to an actual nearby star."
There is also a mysterious unlabeled black dot in his earlier observations of January 6, 1613, which is in the right position to be Neptune.
"I believe this dot could reveal he went back in his notes to record where he saw Neptune earlier when it was even closer to Jupiter but had not previously attracted his attention because of its unremarkable star-like appearance."
If the mysterious black dot on January 6 was actually recorded on January 28, Professor Jamieson proposes this would prove that Galileo believed he may have discovered a new planet.
By using the expertise of trace element analysts from the University of Florence, who have previously analyzed inks in Galileo's manuscripts, dating the unlabelled dot in his notebook may be possible. This analysis may be conducted in October this year.
"Galileo may indeed have formed the hypothesis that he had seen a new planet which had moved right across the field of view during his observations of Jupiter over the month of January 1613," Professor Jamieson says.
"If this is correct Galileo observed Neptune 234 years before its official discovery."
But there could be an even more interesting possibility still buried in Galileo's notes and letters.
"Galileo was in the habit of sending a scrambled sentence, an anagram, to his colleagues to establish his priority for the sensational discoveries he made with his new telescope. He did this when he discovered the phases of Venus and the rings of Saturn. So perhaps somewhere he wrote an as-yet undecoded anagram that reveals he knew he discovered a new planet," Professor Jamieson speculates.
University of Melbourne
If correct, the discovery would be the first new planet identified by humanity since deep antiquity.
Galileo was observing the moons of Jupiter in the years 1612 and 1613 and recorded his observations in his notebooks. Over several nights he also recorded the position of a nearby star which does not appear in any modern star catalogue.
"It has been known for several decades that this unknown star was actually the planet Neptune. Computer simulations show the precision of his observations revealing that Neptune would have looked just like a faint star almost exactly where Galileo observed it," Professor Jamieson says.
But a planet is different to a star because planets orbit the Sun and move through the sky relative to the stars. It is remarkable that on the night of January 28 in 1613 Galileo noted that the "star" we now know is the planet Neptune appeared to have moved relative to an actual nearby star."
There is also a mysterious unlabeled black dot in his earlier observations of January 6, 1613, which is in the right position to be Neptune.
"I believe this dot could reveal he went back in his notes to record where he saw Neptune earlier when it was even closer to Jupiter but had not previously attracted his attention because of its unremarkable star-like appearance."
If the mysterious black dot on January 6 was actually recorded on January 28, Professor Jamieson proposes this would prove that Galileo believed he may have discovered a new planet.
By using the expertise of trace element analysts from the University of Florence, who have previously analyzed inks in Galileo's manuscripts, dating the unlabelled dot in his notebook may be possible. This analysis may be conducted in October this year.
"Galileo may indeed have formed the hypothesis that he had seen a new planet which had moved right across the field of view during his observations of Jupiter over the month of January 1613," Professor Jamieson says.
"If this is correct Galileo observed Neptune 234 years before its official discovery."
But there could be an even more interesting possibility still buried in Galileo's notes and letters.
"Galileo was in the habit of sending a scrambled sentence, an anagram, to his colleagues to establish his priority for the sensational discoveries he made with his new telescope. He did this when he discovered the phases of Venus and the rings of Saturn. So perhaps somewhere he wrote an as-yet undecoded anagram that reveals he knew he discovered a new planet," Professor Jamieson speculates.
University of Melbourne
Galileo Current Events and Galileo News RSSESA spacecraft may help unravel cosmic mystery
When Europe's comet chaser Rosetta swings by Earth tomorrow for a critical gravity assist, tracking data will be collected to precisely measure the satellite's change in orbital energy. The results could help unravel a cosmic mystery that has stumped scientists for two decades.
NAE announces award winners John Casani and Sheila Widnall
During its 2009 annual meeting, the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) will present two awards for extraordinary impacts on the engineering profession.
Small gems in space
A combination of small satellites can, with innovative methods, use the signals of the navigation satellite systems GPS and Galileo to significantly improve remote sensing of the System Earth.
Scientists create first comprehensive computer model of sunspots
In a breakthrough that will help scientists unlock mysteries of the sun and its impacts on Earth, scientists have created the first-ever comprehensive computer model of sunspots.
Four of Saturn's moons parade by their parent
On 24 February 2009, the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope captured a photo sequence of four moons of Saturn passing in front of their parent planet.
Looking through Galileo's eyes
In 1609, exactly four centuries ago, Galileo revolutionised humankind's understanding of our position in the Universe when he used a telescope for the first time to study the heavens, which saw him sketching radical new views of the moon and discovering the satellites orbiting Jupiter.
Jupiter's rocky core bigger and icier, model predicts
Jupiter has a rocky core that is more than twice as large as previously thought, according to computer calculations by a University of California, Berkeley, geophysicist who simulated conditions inside the planet on the scale of individual hydrogen and helium atoms.
Cosmic connections: Imperial scientist locates the origin of cosmic dust
The research, published in the journal Geology, shows that some of the cosmic dust falling to Earth comes from an ancient asteroid belt between Jupiter and Mars. This research improves our knowledge of the solar system, and could provide a new and inexpensive method for understanding space.
Storm Winds Blow in Jupiter's Little Red Spot
Using data from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft and two telescopes at Earth, an international team of scientists has found that one of the solar system's largest and newest storms - Jupiter's Little Red Spot - has some of the highest wind speeds ever detected on any planet.
New discovery at Jupiter could help protect Earth-orbit satellites
Radio waves accelerate electrons within Jupiter's magnetic field in the same way as they do on Earth, according to new research published in Nature Physics this week. The discovery overturns a theory that has held sway for more than a generation and has important implications for protecting Earth-orbiting satellites.
More Galileo Current Events and Galileo News Articles
 |
Galileo by Bertolt Brecht (Author), Eric Bentley (Editor), Eric Bentley (Editor), Charles Laughton (Editor) Considered by many to be one of Brecht's masterpieces, Galileo explores the question of a scientist's social and ethical responsibility, as the brilliant Galileo must choose between his life and his life's work when confronted with the demands of the Inquisition. Through the dramatic characterization of the famous physicist, Brecht examines the issues of scientific morality and the difficult relationship between the intellectual and authority. This version of the play is the famous one that was brought to completion by Brecht himself, working with Charles Laughton, who played Galileo in the first two American productions (Hollywood and New York, 1947). Since then the play has become a classic in the world repertoire. "The play which most strongly stamped on my mind a sense of Brecht's... |
 |
The Essential Galileo by Galileo Galilei (Author), Maurice A. Finocchiaro (Editor) Spanning Galileo's entire career, this new collection presents an annotated translation of Galileo's most important writings as judged by their historical impact from the seventeenth century to the present. It thus presents not only those writings that bear most closely on key developments in physics, astronomy, epistemology, and scientific methodology, but those most relevant to general culture as well, including writings on the relationship between science and religion. |
 |
NOVA - Galileo's Battle for the Heavens Starring: Stacy Keach; Peter Thomas (VI); Don Wescott Directed By: Nova At a time when heretics were burned alive for dissent, scientist Galileo Galilei risked his life to advance his revolutionary concepts of the universe. British actor Simon Callow (Shakespeare in Love, Four Weddings and a Funeral) brings Galileo to life, humanizing the great thinker’s passion, intelligence, and arrogance while depicting his frustrations with fellow philosophers and scientists, and with Roman Catholic church leaders. Based on Dava Sobel’s best-selling biography Galileo’s Daughter, this two-hour film offers a vivid re-imagining of Galileo’s incredible achievements that forever changed the way we view our place in the universe. It also investigates the momentous personal and spiritual conflicts Galileo faced- most especially in defending the controversial... |
 |
Chaney Instrument Galileo Thermometer with Glass Ball Barometer by Chaney Instruments This handsome unit uses a blend of old and new technology to interpret the weather. The Galileo thermometer is filled with a clear liquid that suspends multiple colored weights. As the liquid within the weights changes temperature their density changes allowing the weights to rise or fall. The lowest weight at the very top of the Galileo reflects the temperature. The glass water barometer indicates changes in the air temperature. A low fluid level in the glass spout generally means fair weather while a higher fluid level in the glass spout means foul weather approaches. |
 |
Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems (Modern Library Science) by Galileo (Author), Stillman Drake (Translator), John Heilbron (Translator), Albert Einstein (Translator) Galileo’s Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, published in Florence in 1632, was the most proximate cause of his being brought to trial before the Inquisition. Using the dialogue form, a genre common in classical philosophical works, Galileo masterfully demonstrates the truth of the Copernican system over the Ptolemaic one, proving, for the first time, that the earth revolves around the sun. Its influence is incalculable. The Dialogue is not only one of the most important scientific treatises ever written, but a work of supreme clarity and accessibility, remaining as readable now as when it was first published. This edition uses the definitive text established by the University of California Press, in Stillman Drake’s translation, and includes a Foreword by Albert... |
 |
Along Came Galileo by Jeanne Bendick (Author), Jeanne Bendick (Illustrator) One of the most important figures to come out of the awakening world of the Renaissance was Galileo Galelei. Often referred to as the "Archimedes of his time" Galileo was forever asking questions. Is it possible to measure heat? Is it possible to weigh air? Does the earth stand still or does it move? How fast do objects fall to the earth? His questions led to some of the most important answers of the scientific world and to his contributions to astronomy, physics, and mathematics. Galileo also advanced the astronomical telescope and invented the compound microscope. He measured the rotation of the sun, invented the thermometer, a geometrical compass and the pendulum clock. He was a man of faith, a lover of art and an accomplished artist. He played the lute and enjoyed working in his... |
 |
Discoveries and Opinions of Galileo by Galileo Galilei (Author), Stillman Drake (Translator) Directing his polemics against the pedantry of his time, Galileo, as his own popularizer, addressed his writings to contemporary laymen. His support of Copernican cosmology, against the Church's strong opposition, his development of a telescope, and his unorthodox opinions as a philosopher of science were the central concerns of his career and the subjects of four of his most important writings. Drake's introductory essay place them in their biographical and historical context. |
 |
Galileo Starring: Topol, James Aubrey, Colin Blakely, Robert Bridges, Georgia Brown Directed By: Joseph Losey Also With: Joseph Losey (Writer), Ben Baker (Producer), Ely A. Landau (Producer), Les Landau (Producer), Barbara Bray (Writer), Bertolt Brecht (Writer), Margarete Steffin (Writer) Studio: Kino International Release Date: 11/11/2003 Run time: 138 minutes |
 |
Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith, and Love by Dava Sobel (Author) Galileo Galilei's telescopes allowed him to discover a new reality in the heavens. But for publicly declaring his astounding argument--that the earth revolves around the sun--he was accused of heresy and put under house arrest by the Holy Office of the Inquisition. Living a far different life, Galileo's daughter Virginia, a cloistered nun, proved to be her father's greatest source of strength through the difficult years of his trial and persecution. Drawing upon the remarkable surviving letters that Virginia wrote to her father, Dava Sobel has written a fascinating history of Medici--era Italy, a mesmerizing account of Galileo's scientific discoveries and his trial by Church authorities, and a touching portrayal of a father--daughter relationship. Galileo's Daughter is a profoundly... |
 |
17 inch Galileo Thermometer, with 11 Multi Colored Spheres in Fahrenheit and Gold Tags by LilysHome Galileo Thermometers are magnificent creations that make Galileo's 400 year old principle of relative density a functional reality. An accurate indoor thermometer encased in brilliant glass, the Galileo is the point at which art meets science. Galileos add sparkle and focus to any setting: Galileos are precisely manufactured. Each of the liquid-filled floats weighs exactly.006 grams more than the one above it in the cylinder to ensure a stately and orderly procession of ups and downs as the temperature changes. The fluid in the floats and the cylinder has to be exactly the same density for the thermometer to function properly. The fluid is non-toxic and non-hazardous, an inert oil/hydrocarbon mixture like mineral oil: Galileos are carefully packaged. The cylinder walls are laboratory... |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |