What implication arose because Galileo documented mountains and valleys on the Moon, challenging established cosmology?
Answer
The Moon was a world bearing scars, implying the heavens were not flawless and ethereal
The documentation of distinct topographical features such as mountains and valleys directly undermined the core philosophical premise that the Moon was composed of quintessence—a flawless, ethereal substance entirely distinct from the rocky, corruptible material of Earth. If the Moon possessed geological features, it meant it was a world subject to physical processes, effectively bringing the previously deemed 'perfect' heavens under the same dynamic and imperfect rules governing terrestrial bodies. This fundamentally altered humanity's perceived position within the cosmos.
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