To Understand The Universe, You Must Understand

I Would Say Here Something That Was Heard From An Ecclesiastic Of The Most Eminent Degree: The Intention Of The Holy Spirit Is To Teach Us How One Goes To Heaven, Not How The Heavens Go.

Spots Are On The Surface Of The Solar Body Where They Are Produced And Also Dissolved, Some In Shorter And Others In Longer Periods. They Are Carried Around The Sun; An Important Occurrence In Itself.

Surely It Is A Great Thing To Increase The Numerous Host Of Fixed Stars Previously Visible To The Unaided Vision, Adding Countless More Which Have Never Before Been Seen, Exposing These Plainly To The Eye In Numbers Ten Times Exceeding The Old And Familiar Stars.

I Wish, My Dear Kepler, That We Could Have A Good Laugh Together At The Extraordinary Stupidity Of The Mob. What Do You Think Of The Foremost Philosophers Of This University? In Spite Of My Oft-repeated Efforts And Invitations, They Have Refused, With The Obstinacy Of A Glutted Adder, To Look At The Planets Or The Moon Or My Glass [telescope].

I Have Been Judged Vehemently Suspect Of Heresy, That Is, Of Having Held And Believed That The Sun In The Centre Of The Universe And Immoveable, And That The Earth Is Not At The Center Of Same, And That It Does Move. Wishing However, To Remove From The Minds Of Your Eminences And All Faithful Christians This Vehement Suspicion Reasonably Conceived Against Me, I Abjure With A Sincere Heart And Unfeigned Faith, I Curse And Detest The Said Errors And Heresies, And Generally All And Every Error, Heresy, And Sect Contrary To The Holy Catholic Church. (quoted In Shea And Artigas 194)