伽利略异闻录

One of the most prolific[多产的] scientists of all time， Galileo’s life and accomplishments[成就] have been studied and written about in detail for centuries. From his discovery of the moons of Jupiter to his fight with Pope Urban VIII， noted[著名的] authors and playwrights[剧作家] have been fascinated with both Galileo’s life and contributions. I’d like to share some of these interesting facts about Galileo.

1. Galileo published the first scientific paper based on observations made through a telescope in 1610. It was called The Starry Messenger.

2. Galileo was said to have dropped two cannonballs[炮弹] of different masses from the leaning tower of Pisa to demonstrate[示范，证明] that their speed of descent[下降] was independent of their mass. Many people believe this story to be untrue since its only source was Galileo’s secretary.

3. Galileo never married and had all his children（ two daughters and a son） out of wedlock[婚姻] with Marina Gambia， whom he met on a trip to Venice.

4. Galileo was a pious[虔诚的] Roman Catholic （he seriously considered priesthood[教士，僧侣] as a young man）， though in science he didn’t accept the doctrinal[教义的] view. “The Bible shows the way to go to heaven， not the way the heavens go.”

5. While many remember Galileo’s confrontation[对质] with the church， many forget that both his daughters joined the convent[女修道院] of San Matteo in Arcetri and remained there for the rest of their lives. Galileo even went as far as to help out in the convent， repairing windows and making sure that the convent clock was in order.

6. Galileo was an accomplished lutenist[弹古琵琶的人]， learning from his father， Vincenzo Galilei， who was a composer and music theorist[理论家].

7. Among Galileo’s inventions were his own models of the compass and thermometer. He wasn’t the first person to invent these， but he improved upon their models.

8. While Galileo firmly believed in Copernicus’s theory that the Earth was not the center of the universe， he did not believe in Kepler’s theory that the moon caused the tides.

9. It was not until October 31st， 1992， that the Church under Pope John Paul II expressed regret over how Galileo had been treated.

10. The middle finger of Galileo’s right hand is currently on exhibition at the Museo Galileo in Florence， Italy.

作为有史以来成果最多的科学家之一，伽利略的生平及其成就数百年来一直是人们仔细研究、详尽描画的对象。从他发现木星卫星到他与教皇乌尔邦八世的斗争，众多著名作家以及剧作家都对伽利略的生平及其贡献心驰神往。我想给大家介绍以下几则关于伽利略的趣闻：

1. 伽利略根据他在1610年透过望远镜进行观察的结果出版了第一份科学论文，名为《星际信使》。

2. 相传伽利略曾在比萨斜塔上扔下两个不同体积的炮弹，以证明其下落速度与其体积并无关系。现在许多人认为这个故事不是真的，因为故事的唯一来源只是伽利略的秘书。

3. 伽利略终生未婚，所有儿女（两个女儿以及一个儿子）都是他与玛丽娜・甘巴的非婚生子――他在一趟威尼斯之旅中邂逅了玛丽娜。

4. 伽利略是一名虔诚的天主教徒（他在年轻时认真地考虑过当神父），不过在科学领域，他并不接受教义的观点。“《圣经》指引我们如何通往天堂，却没有指出天空是如何运动的。”

5. 很多人只记得伽利略与教会的对抗，却忘了他的两个女儿都加入了位于（意大利）阿尔切特里的圣玛特奥女修道院，并在院中度过余生。伽利略甚至还到修道院里帮忙，比如修理窗户或者确保院里的大钟正常运作。

6. 伽利略是一名技艺高超的古琵琶弹奏师，师从其父文琴佐・伽利雷――后者是一位作曲家以及音乐理论家。

7. 伽利略的众多发明包括其个人版本的指南针和温度计模型。他并不是第一个发明这些仪器的人，但他在原有基础上进行了改良。

8. 尽管伽利略坚信哥白尼的理论，认为地球并不是宇宙的中心，但他并不接受开普勒的观点，即月亮导致潮汐运动的观点。

9. 直到1992年10月31日，教皇约翰・保罗二世领导下的教会才对伽利略所受的对待致歉。

10. 伽利略的右手中指如今在意大利佛罗伦萨的伽利略博物馆内展出。