On this day in history, in 1632, Gallileo's Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systemswas published in Florence, Italy. Though initially published under a formal license from the Inquisition, the book was subsequently placed on the 'Index of Forbidden Books', and Gallileo himself was convicted of 'grave suspicion of heresy' in 1633. The book was not removed from the index until 1835.
The Dialogue compares traditional Ptolemaic system (where the Universe orbits the Earth) and the Copernican system (where the planets orbit the Sun). The Ptolemaic system takes its name from Claudius Ptolemaeus, writer of Almagest - a treatise on the complex movements of the planets based on Babylonian and Greek astronomical observations. An edition of theAlmagest was printed in 1515. Copernicus had published his theories in 1543.
Gallileo's Dialogue is presented in a style reminiscent of Plato, where several protagonists have detailed discussions about the merits and faults of the Copernican and Ptolemaic system
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