Today is 450 years since the birth of Galileo Galilei, arguably one of the founders of modern cosmology, and certainly of observational astronomy and cosmology.
By chance, ICG member Dr. Karen Masters had the opportunity to visit the house in which Galileo spent the last years of his life (some of it under house arrest) just last week, as she was visiting the Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri (Arcetri Observatory) to give a seminar.
Here’s a picture of Karen in the room which was believed to have been Galileo’s study. You can see more pictures from the visit here.