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Information about the stars Sidereus nuncius

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The moon is not perfect. The first to realize was Galileo Galilei. And through the book Sidereus nuncius tried to spread this news. That is why for many it was the first informative book in the history of science. A copy of the first edition of this Sidereus nuncius is now on display at the Planetarium of Pamplona, an exhibition in which other objects from Galileo can be seen. Along with this exhibition, several translations of the book have been presented, including the one translated into Basque through the Elhuyar Foundation.

"To be a perfect dissemination book, it is only necessary that it is not in Latin," says Ramón Núñez, curator of the exhibition that shows a copy of the original edition of the Sidereus nuncius. "He wrote all the other books in the language of the people, in which he can be considered Italian of that time."

Whether perfect or not, it is a brave book. Galileo reveals the first surprises in telescope observation. He tells us of the mountains of the Moon, of many stars that are not seen at first sight and, finally, of four satellites of Jupiter. "It gives very important news," says Núñez. "This is the news of the universe. At the beginning of the 20th century we had an incorrect idea of Aristotle."

In fact, the book was a set of research notes. "Galileo spent six hours a day looking from the glasses and at the end noted what was seen. He began in November 1609 and finished his work for March 2. In the meantime, it took a 16-day break, that is, the sky was cloudy and I couldn't see anything," says Ibon Plazaola. He has translated into Basque on behalf of the Elhuyar Foundation, and knows the history of the time perfectly.

Galileo collected this work and published it in a stellar informative (a sidereus nuncius). However, the title of the book is not just those two words. Following the custom of the time, the title defines the author, its content and its memory. This last detail is very important. With the book prepared for publication, Galileo himself did not know in his honor: In homage to Duke Cosme II of the Medici family or to the whole family. "The book began to be printed leaving the title for later and asked for advice," says Núñez. "He finally decided to call the stars Meditate on the satellites of Jupiter, believing that the name was more appropriate, and printed the whole book." However, history has covered the name of Medici, which we call Galilean satellites.