On January 7, 1610, Galileo was the first person to train a telescope on Jupiter—and what he saw surprised him. Strung in a line beside the planet were three tiny stars, one to the left of the planet and two to the right. But when he observed the formation the next night, he saw that now all three were on the same side of Jupiter. Over the following week, he watched as the tiny stars (now joined by a fourth) changed their position relative to the planet while remaining beside it. By January 15, he had it figured out: he was observing four moons orbiting Jupiter.
Jupiter and the Galilean moons
Today in History
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Floating temples in the Land of Smiles
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Sailing on thick ice
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A bridge that rocks
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Winter Olympics in Beijing
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Sleep tight, little hedgehog
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Darwin Day
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Forward-thinking women of history
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Whatever floats your boat
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A bohemian feline
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A star blows a bubble
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The first ascent
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Rumelihisarı in Istanbul, Türkiye
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The birth of Bauhaus
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Sanday Island and the North Sea, Scotland
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The Battle of the Bulge 75 years later
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Okefenokee Swamp
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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, DC
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Chocolate Hills
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Winter scenery near Kuhmo, Finland
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Celebrating Minnesota’s statehood
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Spread some love with Bing
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Great horned owl near Lake Tohopekaliga, Florida
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Flock online for the Great Backyard Bird Count
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Surf s up—Down Under
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Nubble Island’s only industry
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Castle Frankenstein in Darmstadt, Germany
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Once upon a time there was a bridge…