Drawings of the Moon

Exactly on this day in 1609 Galileo Galilei, Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, the father of many children among which are observational astronomy, modern physics, the scientific method, and modern science, was looking at the stars. Then, he produced this extremely famous set of six watercolors of the Moon in its various phases "from life," as he observed the Earth's satellite through a telescope. They represent the first realistic depiction of the Moon in history.

Comparing patterns of light and shadow in the vicinity of the terminator (dividing line between light and shadow) at first and third quarter, Galileo could argue convincingly that there exists mountains and valleys on the lunar surface. It made a difference, because the Aristotelian doctrine stipulated that celestial bodies were perfectly smooth and spherical. 

P.S. Here you can read the story how Galileo Galilei's discovery influenced artists! Fascinating, isn't it?  :)

P.P.S. This is the last day of the Black Week Promos! This is the last chance for you to get:

- DailyArt PRO for $1.99 instead of the usual $5.99. If you're not already PRO, just tap the "Get premium features" button below to get the promo.  :)

- All our beautiful socks and paper goods from DailyArt Shop: notebooks, 2022 calendars, and DailyArt Journals for -25% here.

- All DailyArt Courses about art history for -25% here.

- The prints of the most famous artworks printed in amazingly stunning quality at DailyArt Prints (they look like real paintings!) for -25% here.  :)

Enjoy!