Losing the Nobel Prize

Galileo, the polymath paragon of the Renaissance man, was not only a scientist. He was also an artist. All great artists have muses, and Galileo had seven: the Pleiades.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, Galileo’s next target would fill a metaphorical dictionary. The most convincing evidence in favor of Copernicus came when Galileo turned his telescope to Jupiter. In doing so, he made the first stop-motion animation in cosmic history (fig. 2).

Galileo not only reproduced it but built several more with vastly improved performance. Soon, his perspiculum (“perspective tube” or “spyglass”) would become the shortest lever ever to move the Earth

DESPITE HIS ATHEISM, Dad was quite fond of this dictum, the Fifth Commandment. He would often issue it to me as part of an order to get him something from the fridge. Holding up the five fingers on his open hand, he’d jokingly threaten me with bodily harm if I didn’t obey him. “Remember the Fifth!” he’d shout shrilly, and I’d respond with feigned fright.