Page 26 - PIE SAMPLE 1

Izmir University Of Economics
Izmir University Of Economics
Izmir University Of Economics
Izmir University Of Economics
School of Foreign Languages
School of Foreign Languages Izmir University Of Economics Izmir University Of Economics
School of Foreign Languages
Izmir University Of Economics
Izmir University Of Economics
Izmir University Of Economics
Izmir University Of Economics
Izmir University Of Economics
Izmir University Of Economics

PART 2: LECTURE (TAPESCRIPT 2/4)

ASTRONOMY
The invention of the telescope had a huge impact on our understanding of not only the universe, but
also of our place in it. It changed the way that people viewed our world, and our world’s place in
the universe. Before the telescope allowed us to get a closer look at what was up in the sky, people
presumed that the stars were simply much smaller than the moon, but they were all part of this same School of Foreign Languages
School of Foreign Languages School of Foreign Languages Izmir University Of Economics
believed that the Earth was the centre of the universe, and everything else revolved around it. You
can imagine why. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Why wouldn’t people think that the
sun was moving? It wasn’t until the early 17th century, when Galileo invented the telescope and
observed the sky, that we found this idea was wrong.

Galileo didn’t just point his telescope up at the sky and say “Eureka!” He observed the sky by night
Izmir University Of Economics
Izmir University Of Economics
Izmir University Of Economics
Izmir University Of Economics
so far away. They don’t look much bigger through a telescope because they’re really far away! Izmir University Of Economics
and day for many years. The first discovery Galileo made with his telescope was that the moon had
mountains and valleys, which may seem like a pretty ordinary discovery to us. Even little kids
know that today. But, back then, it must have sounded pretty shocking. Another important thing he
learned was that the stars are much further away from the Earth than the moon. And, I’m sure there
were plenty of people at that time who were uncomfortable with this idea. You see, it had been
sphere around the Earth. Galileo proved that assumption wrong. He noticed when looking at the sky
through a telescope, the moon seemed much bigger, but the stars were still tiny dots of light. How
could that be if they were all part of the same sphere? Galileo concluded that the stars must be much
further away. They appear smaller than the moon not because they are smaller, but because they are
School of Foreign Languages School of Foreign Languages Izmir University Of Economics
School of Foreign Languages

His next major discovery was that Jupiter had four moons orbiting or in other words, circling it.
This dispelled another misconception about objects and bodies in space. In Galileo’s day, everyone
Izmir University Of Economics
Izmir University Of Economics
Izmir University Of Economics
know at the time that all of the planets orbited the Sun. So, this was an important discovery leading Izmir University Of Economics
Izmir University Of Economics
thought that objects circled only the Earth. They didn’t circle any other body in space. This
assumption was based on the fact that everything that could be observed from Earth seemed to be
revolving around it. They couldn’t see anything that circled or revolved other bodies. So, the
telescope not only gave people a better look at those bodies that they were familiar with, but it also
allowed them to see things that they previously couldn’t see at all. Galileo and other astronomers
who were starting to follow his lead soon found more bodies in the solar system than anyone had
thought.

Then, Galileo observed that Venus has phases, just like our moon. Through his telescope,
sometimes Venus appeared as the shape of a new moon, and sometimes it appeared full. Now, by
studying these phases, he concluded that Venus actually orbited the Sun. Remember, people didn’t
solar system. And, our sun is not the centre of the universe either. It’s just one of the millions of School of Foreign Languages
School of Foreign Languages School of Foreign Languages Izmir University Of Economics
to our current understanding of our solar system.

Galileo’s discoveries and the notion that the Earth is not the centre of the universe was a very
Izmir University Of Economics
Izmir University Of Economics
Izmir University Of Economics
Izmir University Of Economics
Izmir University Of Economics
difficult concept for people to accept. In fact, Galileo faced a great deal of opposition from the
Church. During the Inquisition he was arrested, threatened with torture and put under house arrest
for the last nine years of his life. Today, we consider Galileo one of the most important scientists of
all time. We have to remember that people felt very threatened by science in early times. Many
people felt that science was in opposition to religion. In fact, some people still feel that way today.
But, that’s another story.

Today, we know that the Earth is not the centre of the universe. It’s not even the centre of our own

stars in an infinite universe. You can see why this kind of information made some people feel a
little insecure. Galileo’s ideas made the Earth seem pretty insignificant in the grand scheme of
things, didn’t they? And, that’s the end of our lecture.
School of Foreign Languages School of Foreign Languages 26 School of Foreign Languages

Izmir University Of Economics
Izmir University Of Economics
Izmir University Of Economics
Izmir University Of Economics
Izmir University Of Economics
Izmir University Of Economics