We spent a day in Firenze on July 2, 2023, during our summer vacation. The city is beautiful, but it is very crowded and it can be very hot. Besides its stunning architecture, the Galileo Museum is also worth a visit.
As astronomers, both professional and amateur, we couldn't miss the opportunity to learn more about Galileo Galilei and his instruments.
The sundial outside the Galileo Museum in Firenze is a monumental sundial that was built in 2007. On the side facing the Arno river, a lizard indicates the noon and the month of the year. The shadow the sundial casts on the street also shows the noon and the month.
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| The sundial outside of the Galileo Museum, showing true noon and the month |
The Galileo Museum in Firenze is a museum dedicated to the life and work of Galileo Galilei, one of the most important scientists in history. The museum is housed in the Palazzo Castellani, an 11th-century building located in the heart of Firenze. In the different rooms of the museum, different instruments are on display, focusing on the different scientific interests of Galileo. Instruments by other important scientists are also on display.
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| A tiny Polyhedral sundial, with a sundial on each side. |
The museum's collection includes a wide range of scientific instruments and artifacts, many of which were used by Galileo himself. The main highlight was of course Galileo's telescope, which he used to make his groundbreaking discoveries about the planets, the craters on the moon, and Jupiter's moons.
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| Antonio Santucci's Armillary Sphere. |
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| A celestial globe by Willem Janszoon Blaeu. |
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| Some of the first telescopes. |
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| Sidereus Nuncius, a facsimile from the book of 1610, with the discoveries of Galileo. |
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| The middle finger of Galileo's right hand. |
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