Beginning of Essay
Galileo was born near Pisa, on February 15, 1564. His father, Vincenzo Galilei, played an important role in the musical revolution from medieval polyphony to harmonic modulation. Galileo was taught by monks at Vallombrosa and then entered the University of Pisa in ....

Middle of Essay
.... and investigated mechanics and the strength of materials. He showed little interest in astronomy, although beginning in 1595 he preferred the Copernican theory (sun centered theory)—that the earth revolves around the sun. Only the Copernican model supported Galileo's tide theory, which was based on motions of the earth. In 1609 he heard that the Dutch had invented a spyglass, what is now called a telescope. In August of that year he presented a telescope, about as powerful as a modern field glass with a magnification of about 40. He also saw that the Milky Way was composed of stars, and he discovered the four largest moons of Jupite ....