The appearance of three comets in the autumn of 1618 touched off a controversy of such proportions that its effects are still inextricably associated with some of the most dramatic events marking the dawn of our modern era.
This volume contains the principal works, in English translation, that were published during the extended controversy between Galileo and the Jesuits over the nature of comets, concluding with a commentary by Johann Kepler. The controversy of of both scientific and philosophical significance because it was in this connection that Galileo disclosed his conception of scientific method, which has been vastly influential on the course of modern thought. The principal work, Il Saggiatore (The Assayer), is also of extraordinary literary merit; it is considered the greatest polemic ever written in the domain of physical science.
Table of Content
Introduction
—Stillman Drake
On the Three Comets of the Year 1618
—Horatio Grassi
Discourse on the Comets
—Mario Guiducci
The Astronomical Balance
—Horatio Grassi
Letter to Tarquinio Galluzzi
—Mario Guiducci
The Assayer
—Galileo Galilei
Appendix to the Hyperaspistes
—Johann Kepler
Notes
Index
About the author
Stillman Drake was a frequent contributor to scientific journals. He was the author of Galileo Galilei: Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems and Discoveries and Opinions of Galileo. C. D. O’Malley was Professor of Medical History at the University of California Medical School. He was the author of Andreas Vesalius: The Bloodletting Letter of I539 and many other books and scholarly articles.80,919 Ebooks in this category
