Advance ticket sales have ended but plenty of additional tickets remain available at the door.
Profs and Pints Metro Detroit presents: “The Dawn of Modern Astronomy,” with Eric H. Ash, professor of history at Wayne State University and scholar of the development of science and technology in the Renaissance era.
The launch of the new James Webb telescope has already given the world stunning new images of the farthest reaches of outer space and the earliest moments of our universe, creating a surge of interest in astronomy and cosmology. It holds the potential to change our worldviews by shedding light on profound questions such as: Is anyone else out there?
Learn about a similar breakthrough moment four centuries ago--Galileo Galilei’s development of a telescope powerful enough to peer far into the heavens—in a fascinating special matinee talk covering both the challenges Galileo faced and the profound impact he had. Taking you on this journey through time will be Professor Eric Ash, a historian of science who last fall gave a fantastic Profs and Pints talk on the occult and early science.
You’ll learn how Galileo discovered through his handmade telescope that the Moon is not smooth and ethereal, but rocky and uneven much like the land masses of the Earth; that the Sun has an ever-changing array of spots on its surface; that the planet Jupiter has its own moons revolving around it; and that there are infinitely more stars in the heavens than had ever been imagined.
When he initially presented his exciting new discoveries in a small 1610 volume called The Starry Messenger, he faced difficulties in convincing his contemporaries that the work was not fictional and that the wonders he had witnessed among the stars with his new and mysterious device were in fact real. After all, his exciting telescopic discoveries in many ways challenged traditional understandings of cosmology, the study of the nature of the universe.
Ultimately, however, Galileo’s advancements marked the beginning of a new chapter in the history of science, with the images humans viewed through instruments that magnify the sky transforming our understanding of our solar system and galaxy. His fascinating story is worth learning in depth as we potentially stand on the brink of other astronomical discoveries that might make us question what we’ve long assumed. (Advance tickets: $12. Door: $15, or $13 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. Talk starts 30 minutes later.)
Image: Galileo shows the Doge of Venice how to use his telescope in this 1858 fresco by Giuseppe Bertini.