Galileo’s contribution to astronomy included:
discovering the laws of planetary motion.
discovering the law of gravity.
making observations and conducting experiments that dispelled scientific objections to the Sun-centered model.
The correct answer and explanation is :
The correct answer is: making observations and conducting experiments that dispelled scientific objections to the Sun-centered model.
Galileo Galilei made groundbreaking contributions to astronomy, particularly through his telescopic observations, which helped confirm the heliocentric (Sun-centered) model of the solar system, initially proposed by Copernicus. Prior to Galileo’s work, the geocentric model, which placed the Earth at the center of the universe, was widely accepted in Europe. This model, based on Ptolemaic ideas, had significant influence, largely because of religious and philosophical traditions.
Galileo, with his improved version of the telescope, made critical observations that challenged the prevailing geocentric model. Among his major discoveries were the four largest moons of Jupiter (now known as the Galilean moons), which demonstrated that not everything in the sky orbited the Earth. He also observed the phases of Venus, which could only be explained if Venus orbited the Sun, further supporting the heliocentric model. Additionally, Galileo’s observations of the Moon’s surface revealed that it was not a perfect, smooth sphere, as Aristotle had suggested, but was instead rugged and uneven. This challenged the Aristotelian idea that celestial bodies were perfect and immutable.
Furthermore, Galileo’s work on the principle of inertia and his experiments with falling objects laid the groundwork for modern physics, even though he is not credited with discovering the law of gravity or the laws of planetary motion (those were later contributions of Sir Isaac Newton and Johannes Kepler).
In summary, Galileo’s primary contribution to astronomy was not the discovery of new laws of motion or gravity but rather his observational evidence that supported the Sun-centered model of the solar system, helping to overturn centuries of geocentric thinking. His findings were critical in the eventual acceptance of the heliocentric theory and the development of modern science.