During the very last year of what he himself described “as the best [eighteen] years of his life” spent at the University of Padua, Galileo first observed the heavens with a telescope. In order to appreciate the marvel and the true significance of those observations we must appreciate both the intellectual climate in Europe and the critical intellectual period through which Galileo himself was passing at the time those observations were made. Through his studies on motion Galileo had come to have serious doubts about the Aristotelian concept of nature. What he sensed was lacking was a true physics. He was very acute, therefore, when he came to sense the significance of his observations of the moon, of the phases of Venus, of the moons of Jupiter and of the Milky Way. The preconceptions of the Aristotelians were crumbling before his eyes. He had remained silent long enough, over a three month period, in his contemplations of the heavens. It was time to organize his thoughts and tell what he had seen and what he thought it meant. It was time to publish! In so doing he would become one of the pioneers of modern science. For the first time in over 2,000 years new significant observational data had been put at the disposition of anyone who cared to think, not in abstract preconceptions but in obedience to what the universe had to say about itself.

Among the most persistent popular misperceptions of Galileo is the image of an irreligious scientist who opposed the Catholic Church and was therefore convicted of heresy–was even excommunicated, according to some accounts, and denied Christian burial. In fact, Galileo considered himself a good Catholic. He accepted the Bible as the true word of God on matters pertaining to salvation, but insisted Scripture did not teach astronomy. Emboldened by his discovery of the Medicean Moons, he took a stand on Biblical exegesis that has since become the official Church position.

Galileo's stunning discovery of the four largest satellites of Jupiter forced the over throw of the Earth-centered cosmology that had dominated astronomy for centuries. Such a fundamental transformation of the Western World's view of its importance in the cosmos could be expected to produce some humility in society. However, the deep desire for our uniqueness continues to struggle with the astronomical evidence.

Galileo's support to the Copernican theory was decisive for the revolutionary astronomical discoveries he achieved in 1610. We trace the origins of Galileo's conversion to the Copernican theory, discussing in particular the Dialogo de Cecco di Ronchitti da Bruzene in perpuosito de La Stella Nuova. Later developments of Galileo's works are briefly treated.

In the first part of this paper we briefly discuss some historical constraints useful for understanding when Galileo for the first time aimed his telescope to the Moon which most probably was the first astronomical object observed by the Scientist. In the second part we discuss the dates of the observations on which the etchings, published in the Sidereus Nuncius, are based. It results that the five etchings refer to observations performed in December 1609 and January 1610. The measurement of the position, of some peculiar structures of the lunar surface clearly represented by Galileo in the etchings, shows that he was very careful in trying to produce a faithful graphical rendering of what he was observing.

Galileo's talents in perspective and chiaroscuro drawing led to his images of the Moon being accepted relatively quickly as the naturalistic portrayal of a truly physical place. In contrast to his resolved views of the Moon, Galileo saw the satellites of Jupiter as only points of light (as with stars). He thus used star symbols in Sidereus Nuncius (1610) for the moons, in constrast to an open disk for Jupiter. In this paper, I describe methods used in subsequent decades to portray objects that could not be seen in any detail but whose very existence challenged the scholastic approach to science. Within fifty years, the existence of the moons was such an accepted component of astronomy that they were depicted in the highly decorative “textbook” Atlas Coelestis seu Harmonia Macrocosmica by Andreas Cellarius (1660). Other symbolic methods, ranging from the routine to the dramatic, were used in subsequent centuries to portray the moons. Actual photographs using ground-based telescopes were not possible until the 20th century, just years before cameras on spaceflight missions captured the true details of the Medicean Stars.

Galileo realized that the four moons he discovered, besides supporting the heliocentric system, could also serve as a clock in the sky for longitude determination. Navigation at sea by this method did not prove practical but G. Cassini used it to improve land mapping. O. Rømer discovered that the interval between eclipses of the moons by Jupiter increased or decreased according to whether the Earth moved away from or toward Jupiter. He attributed this to the finite speed of light which he in 1676 determined with an error of about 25%. Timings of the eclipses by Jupiter have served to compute accurate orbits of the moons, notably by means of R. A. Sampson's theory of 1921. Beginning in 1973, light curves of mutual eclipses and occultations between pairs of moons have been made regularly at six years intervals. From these observations very accurate radii and positions of the moons have been obtained.

Four hundred years ago Galileo turned his telescope to the heavens and changed the way we view the cosmos forever. Among his discoveries in January of 1610 were four new ‘stars’, following Jupiter in the sky but changing their positions with respect to the giant planet every night. Galileo showed that these ‘Medicean stars’, as he named them, were moons orbiting Jupiter in the same manner that the Earth and planets revolve about the Sun in the Copernican theory of the solar system. Over the next three centuries these moons, now collectively named the Galilean satellites after their discoverer, remained tiny dots of light in astronomers' telescopes. In the latter portion of the twentieth century Galileo's new worlds became important targets of exploration by robotic spacecraft. This paper reviews the history of this exploration through the discoveries made by the Galileo mission from 1995 to 2003, setting the stage for on-going exploration in the new century.

Jupiter's moons, embedded in the magnetized, flowing plasma of Jupiter's magnetosphere, the plasma seas of the title, are fluids whose highly non-linear interactions imply complex behavior. In a plasma, magnetic fields couple widely separated regions; consequently plasma interactions are exceptionally sensitive to boundary conditions (often ill-specified). Perturbation fields arising from plasma currents greatly limit our ability to establish more than the dominant internal magnetic field of a moon. With a focus on Ganymede and a nod to Io, this paper discusses the complexity of plasma-moon interactions, explains how computer simulations have helped characterize the system and presents improved fits to Ganymede's internal field.

Observational astronomy began in Padova four hunderd years ago, when Galileo Galilei pointed a newly invented instrument towards Jupiter. After only one week of observations he discovered four moons circling Jupiter. In the intervening four centuries, technical progress in instrumentation and novel observational approaches have revealed much about the connection between these Medicean moons with Jupiter, none more revealing than the auroral emissions. In this paper we review observations of ultraviolet aurora made by earth-orbitting spacecraft as well as those that flew by the Jovian system.

The discovery of Io and her fellow Medicean Stars clearly altered the course of science as a whole. It is equally clear that the discovery of Io's tidal heating has altered the course of planetary science. One of the most directly observable consequences of Io's tidal heating is the prodigious escape of a ton per second of volcanically-supplied gases. I will review how studies of Io's escaping atmosphere since 1972 have advanced our deep understanding of Io itself, and helped formulate our perspective on planetary evolution in our solar system and beyond.

A comparison of the Jovian and Saturnian rings is made by reviewing the recent advances in planetary spacecraft exploration and theoretical study. Two main issues are addressed, namely, the different structures of these two planetary ring systems and the water ice composition of the Saturnian rings. It is suggested that answers might be found by invoking tidal capture of Trans-Neptunian Objects with highly differentiated structures even though catastrophic breakup of pre-existing satellites in the ring regions remains a real possibility. Erosion mechanisms such as meteoroid impact, photo-sputtering, orbital instability of charged dust particles and thermal evaporation acting at different time scales could lead to the preservation of the Saturnian ring system but not the Jovian ring system of large mass originally.

Juno is the next NASA New Frontiers mission which will launch in August 2011. The mission is a solar powered spacecraft scheduled to arrive at Jupiter in 2016 and be placed into polar orbit around Jupiter. The goal of the Juno mission is to explore the origin and evolution of the planet Jupiter. Juno's science themes include (1) origin, (2) interior structure, (3) atmospheric composition and dynamics, and (4) polar magnetosphere and aurora. A total of nine instruments on-board provide specific measurements designed to investigate Juno's science themes. The primary objective of investigating the origin of Jupiter includes 1) determine Jupiter's internal mass distribution by measuring gravity with Doppler tracking, 2) determine the nature of its internal dynamo by measuring its magnetic fields with a magnetometer, and 3) determine the deep composition (in particular the global water abundance) and dynamics of the sub-cloud atmosphere around Jupiter, by measuring its thermal microwave emission.

Galileo spacecraft data suggest that a global ocean exists beneath the frozen ice surface Jupiter's moon Europa. Since the early 1970s, planetary scientists have used theoretical and observational arguments to deliberate the existence of an ocean within Europa and other large icy satellites. Galileo magnetometry data indicates an induced magnetic field at Europa, implying a salt water ocean. A paucity of large craters argues for a surface on average only ~40-90 Myr old. Two multi-ring structures suggest that impacts punched through an ice shell ~20 km thick. Europa's ocean and surface are inherently linked through tidal deformation of the floating ice shell, and tidal flexing and nonsynchronous rotation generate stresses that fracture and deform the surface to create ridges and bands. Dark spots, domes, and chaos terrain are probably related to tidally driven ice convection along with partial melting within the ice shell. Europa's geological activity and probable mantle contact permit the chemical ingredients necessary for life to be present within the satellite's ocean. Astonishing geology and high astrobiological potential make Europa a top priority for future spacecraft exploration, with a primary goal of assessing its habitability.

An international effort dedicated to science exploration of Jupiter system planned by ESA and NASA in the beginning of next decade includes in-depth science investigation of Europa. In parallel to EJSM (Europa-Jupiter System Mission) Russian Space Agency and the academy of Science plan Laplace-Europa Lander mission, which will include the small telecommunication and science orbiter and the surface element: Europa Lander. In-situ methods on the lander provide the only direct possibility to assess environmental conditions, and to perform the search for signatures of life. A critical advantage of such in situ analysis is the possibility to enhance concentration and detection limits and to provide ground truth for orbital measurements. The science mission of the lander is biological, geophysical, chemical, and environmental characterizations of the Europa surface. Remote investigations from the orbit around Europa would not be sufficient to address fully the astrobiology, geodesy, and geology goals. The science objectives of the planned mission, the synergy between the Europa Lander and EJSM mission elements, and a brief description of the Laplace-Europa Lander mission are presented.

In the spirit of the symposium and the theme of the session of this presentation, “Our solar system after Galileo, the grand vision,” I review briefly a relatively recently discovered phenomenon in the solar system – existence of atmospheres on certain moons, including Io, one of the four moons Galileo discovered four centuries ago. The origin of such atmospheres is discussed, and comparisons are made between various gassy moons.

When the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft enters orbit about Mercury in March 2011 it will begin a new phase in an age-old scientific study of the innermost planet. Despite being visible to the unaided eye, Mercury's proximity to the Sun makes it extremely difficult to observe from Earth. Nonetheless, over the centuries man has pursued a quest to understand the elusive planet, and has teased out information about its motions in the sky, its relation to the other planets, and its physical characteristics. A great leap was made in our understanding of Mercury when the Mariner 10 spacecraft flew past it three times in the mid-1970s, providing a rich set of close-up observations. Now, three decades later, The MESSENGER spacecraft has also visited the planet three times, and is poised to add significantly to the study with a year-long orbital observation campaign.

The four giant planets - Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune - have common properties which make them very different from the terrestrial planets: located at large distances from the Sun, they have big sizes and masses but low densities; they all have a ring system and a large number of satellites. These common properties can be understood in the light of their formation scenario, based upon the accretion of protosolar gas on an initial icy core. Giant planets have been explored by space missions (Pioneer 10 and 11, Voyager 1 and 2, Galileo and Cassini) but also by Earth-orbiting satellites and ground-based telescopes. There are still open questions related to the origin and evolution of the giant planets, in particular their moderate migration, the origin of the cold planetesimals which formed Jupiter, the origin of the atmospheric dynamics in Jupiter and Saturn, and the differences in the internal structures of Uranus and Neptune.

The ability to differentiate abiotic organic material from material of a biological origin is a critical task for astrobiology. Mass spectrometry and spectroscopy provide key tools for advancing this task and are two techniques that provide useful and highly complementary compositional information independent of a specific biochemical pathway. Here we address some of the utility and limitations of applying these techniques to both orbital and in situ exploration of icy moons of the outer solar system.

Galileo's work had a profound influence on our understanding of the question of “other worlds” and the possibility of other intelligent life in the universe. When he saw the Moon with its mountains, and Jupiter with its moons, he implicitly recognized that these were physical places and thus could themselves be possible abodes for life. But some ancient and medieval scholars had already suggested as much, though without the empirical backing that Galileo's observations provided. Thus perhaps an even more important influence on the development of these ideas is that Galileo made them popular with the educated public, rather than merely the speculations of specialists. By inciting the popular imagination to take seriously the possibility of other worlds, he engaged subsequent generations of philosophers and storytellers to explore the possibilities and implications of life on those worlds.