What was the prevailing view of the Moon, prior to Galileo's telescopic scrutiny?
Answer
A perfect, ethereal sphere
For nearly two millennia preceding Galileo's observations, Western thought regarding the heavens was overwhelmingly dominated by Aristotelian cosmology. This philosophical system dictated that celestial bodies, including the Moon, were composed of an immutable, perfect substance, existing as flawless, crystalline spheres. Naked-eye observation supported this by presenting the Moon as a uniform, bright disc. Galileo's findings were revolutionary precisely because they empirically dismantled this deeply entrenched certainty, showing the celestial sphere was not perfect, but physically imperfect and subject to terrestrial-like structures.
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