The famed letter about the four moons of Jupiter is in fact the work of infamous forger Tobia Nicotra, Georgia University historian Nick Wielding says in his preparatory writings for a new biography of the Italian scientist.
The culprit is said to have mass-produced autographic pieces for years in order to support his seven mistresses, Wielding says.
University of Michigan librarian Dona Hayward said that the news was like a “punch in the stomach”.
Galileo (February 15, 1564 - January 8, 1642) was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer from the city of Pisa. He was sometimes described as a polymath, and was a part of the Duchy of Florence.
Galileo has been called the “father” of observational astronomy, modern physics, the scientific method, and modern science. This discovery has understandably come as a disappointing shock to the staff and students of UOM.
