Galileo Galilei is a name that needs no introduction.
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that → need → introduction
In 1610, Italian astronomer Galileo published a small book that challenged the way people understood the universe.
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people → publish → universe
He used a telescope and observed four bodies moving around Jupiter, providing evidence that not everything in the universe revolved around Earth.
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everything → use → Earth
However, it’s normal that people generally are not convinced with anything that challenges their notion or age-old beliefs.
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that → ’ → notion
Among those who challenged his findings was astronomer Francesco Sizzi, who argued that the supposed moons were optical illusions produced by the telescope.
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moons → challenge → telescope
Now over 400 years later, the books documenting these opposing views have become part of an extraordinary story of scientific discovery.
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books → document → discovery
Rs 2.07 crore bookIn February 2026, a rare volume containing Galileo’s landmark publication alongside three other early works on astronomy and optics sold at Christie’s for US$217,600, approximately Rs 2.07 crore.
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volume → contain → 217,600
It was a collection that was offered as part of the auction house’s sale of fine printed books, manuscripts and science.
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that → offer → books
The little book that changed astronomyBook at Christie's auction (PC: Christie)
The book was published in Venice in March 1610.
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book → change → March
Galileo’s Sidereus Nuncius, commonly translated as
The Starry Messenger
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Nuncius → translate → Messenger
announced observations that had become possible through the relatively new technology of the telescope.
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that → announce → telescope
Galileo learnt about the development of the telescope in 1609 and later built his own improved instruments.
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Galileo → learn → instruments
By the end of that year, he was using them to observe the night sky.
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he → use → sky
In January 1610, he turned his attention to Jupiter and noticed several points of light near the planet.
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he → turn → planet
As he continued observing them on successive nights, their changing positions revealed that they were orbiting Jupiter rather than remaining fixed among the stars.
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they → continue → stars
It was a significant discovery as it challenged the established Aristotelian picture of the universe.
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it → challenge → universe
As per his theory, the heavens were understood through a system of nested celestial spheres and Earth occupied a central position.
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Earth → understand → position
In Sidereus Nuncius, Galileo also described the Moon’s uneven and mountainous surface.
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Galileo → describe → surface
It also mentioned that the Milky Way has numerous individual stars that could not be distinguished with the naked eye.
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that → mention → eye
Now this book made Galileo famous across Europe.
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Galileo → make → Europe
The astronomer who refused to believeHowever, Francesco Sizzi, a contemporary of Galileo, refused to believe his theory and questioned the existence of Jupiter’s newly reported moons.
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Sizzi → refuse → moons
The existence of other bodies orbiting a planet questioned the order in which celestial movements were interpreted.
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movements → orbit → which
Sizzi argued that the appearances Galileo described could be produced by the telescope itself.
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Galileo → argue → telescope
The disagreement is particularly intriguing because the two positions survived together in the same physical volume.
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positions → survive → volume
According to Christie’s catalogue, Galileo, in turn, declined to refute Sizzi, preferring to preserve their friendship.
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Galileo → accord → friendship
The episode offers a glimpse of a time when new scientific observations confronted long-established beliefs, and the debate over evidence was still unfolding.
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debate → offer → evidence
Four books, one volume and centuries of historyBook at Christie's auction (PC: Christie)
The copy sold in 2026 was more than a first edition of Galileo’s celebrated work.
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copy → sell → work
It was a Sammelband, a volume in which separate publications were bound together.
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publications → bind → which
Alongside Sidereus Nuncius were three other first editions published in 1611.
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editions → publish → 1611
The third, by Marcus Antonius de Dominis, explored vision, light, lenses and the rainbow, with material on the telescope added amid the excitement surrounding Galileo’s discoveries.
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third → explore → discoveries
The fourth, by Giovanni Antonio Magini, explored the properties and effects of spherical concave mirrors.
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fourth → explore → mirrors
According to Christie’s catalogue, the works were bound in contemporary stiff vellum boards.
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works → accord → boards
The volume also contains a reused sheet from a 1474 edition of a Latin translation of Herodotus, incorporated into the inside cover.
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volume → contain → cover
Its binding and surviving details offer a glimpse into how early printed books were assembled and preserved.
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books → survive → glimpse
From a disputed discovery to an astronomical legacyThe four moons Galileo observed are now known as Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.
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Galileo → observe → Io
Galileo recorded the changing positions of the points of light over successive nights and recognised that their movement was evidence of their orbit around Jupiter.
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movement → record → Jupiter
What initially appeared to be an arrangement of distant stars became evidence that celestial bodies could revolve around a world other than Earth.
When the rare volume sold for US$217,600 in 2026, its significance lay in this unusual combination of scientific achievement and intellectual resistance.
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significance → appear → achievement
The Aporia
