Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilisation

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Personal truths have the power to command your mind, body, and soul, but are not evidence-based. Personal truths are what you’re sure is true, even if you can’t—especially if you can’t—prove it. Some of these ideas derive from what you want to be true. Others take shape from charismatic leaders or sacred doctrines, either ancient or contemporary. For some, especially in monotheistic traditions, God and Truth are synonymous. […] Personal truths are what you may hold dear but have no real way of convincing others who disagree, except by heated argument, coercion, or force. These are the foundations of most people���s opinions and are normally harmless when kept to yourself or argued over a beer.” Sidereus Nuncius (usually Sidereal Messenger, also Starry Messenger or Sidereal Message) is a short astronomical treatise (or pamphlet) published in Neo-Latin by Galileo Galilei on March 13, 1610. [1] It was the first published scientific work based on observations made through a telescope, and it contains the results of Galileo's early observations of the imperfect and mountainous Moon, of hundreds of stars not visible to the naked eye in the Milky Way and in certain constellations, and of the Medicean Stars (later Galilean moons) that appeared to be circling Jupiter. [2] [3] Starry Messenger felt more like a summary of Neil's political worldview more than anything. Perhaps that's my fault for expecting a book on science/space etc. However, at one point, he tried to summarize the (very complicated) Israel & Palestine conflict in a few sentences. Much of what he said felt surface-level & unnecessary.

I'm not sure where to categorize this version of Neil deGrasse Tyson - a Zealous Scientist or an Evangelical Rationalist, or both. If you enjoy learning scientific facts and thinking rationally and challenging your beliefs, this is the book for you. It's not very long, though even if it was it still wouldn't have been long enough for me. At the time of Sidereus Nuncius ' publication, Galileo was a mathematician at the University of Padua and had recently received a lifetime contract for his work in building more powerful telescopes. He desired to return to Florence, and in hopes of gaining patronage there, he dedicated Sidereus Nuncius to his former pupil, now the Grand Duke of Tuscany, Cosimo II de' Medici. In addition, he named his discovered four moons of Jupiter the "Medicean Stars," in honor of the four royal Medici brothers. [3] This helped him receive the position of Chief Mathematician and Philosopher to the Medici at the University of Pisa. [9] Ultimately, his effort at naming the moons failed, for they are now referred to as the "Galilean moons". There is such potential in the realm of science for the gift of humility and there are times Tyson can wield it. But his disdain for any worldviews other than that of the enlightenment and apparent ignorance of any critiques of the enlightenment from the past three centuries.The book is interesting, but I expected it to be more about science and less about random subjects. Still, Tyson is a smart, well-read, amusing guy and he provides tidbits you could use to sound smart at parties and gatherings. 🙂 The first telescopes appeared in the Netherlands in 1608 when Middelburg spectacle-maker Hans Lippershey tried to obtain a patent on one. [5] By 1609 Galileo had heard about it and built his own improved version. He probably was not the first person to aim the new invention at the night sky [6] but his was the first systematic (and published) study of celestial bodies using one. [7] One of Galileo's first telescopes had 8x to 10x linear magnification and was made out of lenses that he had ground himself. [8] This was increased to 20x linear magnification in the improved telescope he used to make the observations in Sidereus Nuncius. [9] [3] Content [ edit ] Galileo's sketches of the Moon from Sidereus Nuncius. To be very sure, it's awe in the pure-reality sense, the scientific sense, and a measured analysis of who we are, what we might be capable of, and how we fit in the rest of the universe. I've liked Neil deGrasse Tyson for a long time. He's a scientist, married to another scientist, has served in the White House, is the director of the Hayden Planetarium, founded the department of astrophysics at the Rose Center for Earth and Space, hosted various TV programmes as well as his own podcast and more. He has an abundance of love and passion for science and it is infectious! He is also one hell of an educator (he himself considers himself more of an educator than a scientist) and has a wonderful way of breaking down the most complex topics so anyone can understand them. Moreover, he seems to consider it his mission to bring science to the masses. His books are usually serving exactly this purpose. I'm a massive fan of Neil deGrasse Tyson's work on space & astrophysics. So, I was really excited to read this book. However, it was a massive let-down and I'm genuinely disappointed in the mediocre quality.

For instance, in an example of the evolution of criminal trials, Tyson observes that some historic cultures let God decide guilt or innocence. So the accused might be pushed underwater; forced to walk through fire; have boiling oil poured on their chest; or made to drink poison. Those who survived must be innocent because God protected them. This type of thing eventually evolved to trial by crowd; trial by random individuals; then trial by a jury of your peers. Tyson points out that even this last method is far from foolproof because eyewitnesses are unreliable, and - worse yet - attorneys are trained to make their case regardless of the truth. My favorite part of Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization was the section about intelligent life in the universe, and why we think we'd ever be able to communicate with them. It all starts right here at home. In his drawings, Galileo used an open circle to represent Jupiter and asterisks to represent the four stars. He made this distinction to show that there was in fact a difference between these two types of celestial bodies. It is important to note that Galileo used the terms planet and star interchangeably, and "both words were correct usage within the prevailing Aristotelian terminology." [13]Starry Messengeris a wake-up call to civilization. People no longer know who or what to trust. We sow hatred of others fueled by what we think is true, or what we want to be true, without regard to what is true. Cultural and political factions battle for the souls of communities and of nations. We’ve lost all sight of what distinguishes facts from opinions. We lob grenades at one another when we could be sharing beers in pubs. Here's an example I'm familiar with: Are there health benefits to having pets in your home? Hard one to measure given confounds too extensive to list here, on top of which the researcher typically loves companion animals, as do the pet-owner participants in the study. It's easier to approach the question differently by evaluating the effects of interactions with pets under controlled circumstances (visits to residential facilities, e.g.) but even so, such studies are challenging to replicate while keeping all variables identical. So the theoretical question "Should pets be allowed in all shared residences such as apartment buildings because sharing a home with them bestows health benefits?" could not be answered on a rational basis. We really can't come up with a universal answer to that one. Sidereus Nuncius, in Latin in HTML format, or in Italian in pdf format or odt format. From LiberLiber.

For five seasons, beginning in the fall of 2006, Tyson appeared as the on-camera host of PBS NOVA’s spinoff program NOVA ScienceNOW, which is an accessible look at the frontier of all the science that shapes the understanding of our place in the universe. In Tyson's ideal world, all of humanity would be versed in statistics, to separate 'feelings' from 'knowledge.' An example Tyson provides is a chance encounter with a long-lost friend in a far-off place. Often, we would think it was preordained, possibly declaring, "There are no coincidences!" But it IS a coincidence. I therefore concluded and decided unhesitatingly, that there are three stars in the heavens moving about Jupiter, as Venus and Mercury round the Sun; which at length was established as clear as daylight by numerous subsequent observations. These observations also established that there are not only three, but four, erratic sidereal bodies performing their revolutions round Jupiter...the revolutions are so swift that an observer may generally get differences of position every hour. [12] Mensaje de las estrellas es un ensayo que toca 10 temas de todo tipo y el autor los analiza desde su punto de vista y desde distintos hechos científicos. Está bien, en mi caso, no me aportó absolutamente nada nuevo.Isabelle Pantin. Sidereus Nuncius: Le Messager Celeste. Paris: Belles Lettres, 1992. ASIN B0028S7JLK. I really enjoyed it. Dr. Tyson seems like an interesting guy to hang out with and talk about all sorts of things. This selection of engravings, charts, diagrams, and texts reveals the furred and cratered faces, the portents and instruments in European observations of the heavens from the sixteenth through the eighteenth century. Drawing in part on a recently acquired collection of early modern comet literature, these items explore the fascination and anxiety with the world, its state, and its possibilities of imperfection that infused the early modern European discussions of the stars. The Exhibition But many individuals and communities were sceptical. A common response to the Medicean Stars was simply to say that the telescope had a lens defect and was producing illusory points of light and images; those saying this completely denied the existence of the moons. [13] That only a few could initially see and verify what Galileo had observed supported the supposition that the optical theory during this period "could not clearly demonstrate that the instrument was not deceiving the senses." [15] By naming the four moons after the Medici brothers and convincing the Grand Duke Cosimo II of his discoveries, the defence of Galileo's reports became a matter of State. Moran notes, “the court itself became actively involved in pursuing the confirmation of Galileo’s observations by paying Galileo out of its treasury to manufacture spyglasses that could be sent through ambassadorial channels to the major courts of Europe." Albert Van Helden (Professor Emeritus of History at Rice University [19]); translation with introduction, conclusion and notes. Galileo Galilei, Sidereus Nuncius, or The Sidereal Messenger. Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press, 1989. xiii + 127 pp. ISBN 978-0226279039.