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22 events on this timeline
  1. Galileo Galilei

    "Three fixed stars, totally invisible by their smallness"

    Thursday Jan 7, 1610Italy

    On 7 January 1610, Galileo observed with his telescope what he described at the time as "three fixed stars, totally invisible by their smallness", all close to Jupiter, and lying on a straight line through it.

  2. Galileo Galilei

    Sidereus Nuncius

    Saturday Mar 13, 1610Italy

    Galileo began his telescopic observations in the later part of 1609, and by March 1610 was able to publish a small book, The Starry Messenger (Sidereus Nuncius), describing some of his discoveries: mountains on the Moon, lesser moons in orbit around Jupiter, and the resolution of what had been thought to be very cloudy masses in the sky (nebulae) into collections of stars too faint to see individually without a telescope. Other observations followed, including the phases of Venus and the existence of sunspots.

  3. Galileo Galilei

    Galileo used a telescope at close range to magnify the parts of insects

    1610Italy

    In 1610, Galileo used a telescope at close range to magnify the parts of insects.

  4. Galileo Galilei

    Letter to Kepler

    Aug, 1610Italy

    In a letter to Kepler of August 1610, Galileo complained that some of the philosophers who opposed his discoveries had refused even to look through a telescope: My dear Kepler, I wish that we might laugh at the remarkable stupidity of the common herd. What do you have to say about the principal philosophers of this academy who are filled with the stubbornness of an asp and do not want to look at either the planets, the moon or the telescope, even though I have freely and deliberately offered them the opportunity a thousand times? Truly, just as the asp stops its ears, so do these philosophers shut their eyes to the light of truth.

  5. Galileo Galilei

    Galileo observed that Venus exhibited a full set of phases similar to that of the Moon

    Sep, 1610Italy

    From September 1610, Galileo observed that Venus exhibited a full set of phases similar to that of the Moon. The heliocentric model of the Solar System developed by Nicolaus Copernicus predicted that all phases would be visible since the orbit of Venus around the Sun would cause its illuminated hemisphere to face the Earth when it was on the opposite side of the Sun and to face away from the Earth when it was on the Earth-side of the Sun.

  6. Henry IV's death

    Friday May 14, 1610Paris

    Franois Ravaillac, a fanatical Catholic, killed Henry IV of France in the streets of Paris.

  7. Henry IV's death

    Friday May 14, 1610France

    The 1st Bourbon King of Navarra and France, Henry IV, was assassinated at the age of 56.

  8. Paul Scarron Birth

    Sunday Jul 4, 1610Paris

    French writer Paul Scarron was born in Paris.

  9. John Pell Birth

    Monday Mar 1, 1610Southwick

    The British mathematician and diplomat John Pell was born in Southwick, England.

  10. Cornelis Evertsen Birth

    Sunday Jul 4, 1610Flushing

    The Elder, Dutch-Swiss vice-admiral was born in the Netherlands.

  11. False Dmitry II's death

    Saturday Dec 11, 1610Russia

    False Dmitry 2, the leader of Russia, was killed in 1610.

  12. Galileo Galilei

    "Three fixed stars, totally invisible by their smallness"

    Thursday Jan 7, 1610Italy

    On 7 January 1610, Galileo observed with his telescope what he described at the time as "three fixed stars, totally invisible by their smallness", all close to Jupiter, and lying on a straight line through it.

  13. Galileo Galilei

    Sidereus Nuncius

    Saturday Mar 13, 1610Italy

    Galileo began his telescopic observations in the later part of 1609, and by March 1610 was able to publish a small book, The Starry Messenger (Sidereus Nuncius), describing some of his discoveries: mountains on the Moon, lesser moons in orbit around Jupiter, and the resolution of what had been thought to be very cloudy masses in the sky (nebulae) into collections of stars too faint to see individually without a telescope. Other observations followed, including the phases of Venus and the existence of sunspots.

  14. Galileo Galilei

    Galileo used a telescope at close range to magnify the parts of insects

    1610Italy

    In 1610, Galileo used a telescope at close range to magnify the parts of insects.

  15. Galileo Galilei

    Letter to Kepler

    Aug, 1610Italy

    In a letter to Kepler of August 1610, Galileo complained that some of the philosophers who opposed his discoveries had refused even to look through a telescope: My dear Kepler, I wish that we might laugh at the remarkable stupidity of the common herd. What do you have to say about the principal philosophers of this academy who are filled with the stubbornness of an asp and do not want to look at either the planets, the moon or the telescope, even though I have freely and deliberately offered them the opportunity a thousand times? Truly, just as the asp stops its ears, so do these philosophers shut their eyes to the light of truth.

  16. Galileo Galilei

    Galileo observed that Venus exhibited a full set of phases similar to that of the Moon

    Sep, 1610Italy

    From September 1610, Galileo observed that Venus exhibited a full set of phases similar to that of the Moon. The heliocentric model of the Solar System developed by Nicolaus Copernicus predicted that all phases would be visible since the orbit of Venus around the Sun would cause its illuminated hemisphere to face the Earth when it was on the opposite side of the Sun and to face away from the Earth when it was on the Earth-side of the Sun.

  17. Henry IV's death

    Friday May 14, 1610Paris

    Franois Ravaillac, a fanatical Catholic, killed Henry IV of France in the streets of Paris.

  18. Henry IV's death

    Friday May 14, 1610France

    The 1st Bourbon King of Navarra and France, Henry IV, was assassinated at the age of 56.

  19. Paul Scarron Birth

    Sunday Jul 4, 1610Paris

    French writer Paul Scarron was born in Paris.

  20. John Pell Birth

    Monday Mar 1, 1610Southwick

    The British mathematician and diplomat John Pell was born in Southwick, England.

  21. Cornelis Evertsen Birth

    Sunday Jul 4, 1610Flushing

    The Elder, Dutch-Swiss vice-admiral was born in the Netherlands.

  22. False Dmitry II's death

    Saturday Dec 11, 1610Russia

    False Dmitry 2, the leader of Russia, was killed in 1610.