Galileo's Phases of Venus and Other Planets
Date: 1 Jan 1610

Galileo Galilei's observations that Venus appeared in phases -- similar to those of Earth's Moon -- in our sky was evidence that Venus orbited the sun and contributed to the downfall of the centuries-old belief that the sun and planets revolved around Earth. Also sketched here are Jupiter, Saturn and Mars.


Last Update: 5 Jul 2011 (AMB)

Credit: Istituto di Linguistica Computazionale