Galileo and the Moon Sidereus Nuncius

Here's what Galileo wrote 400 years ago this month to describe the Moon:

He used a telescope that magnified 20 times

"The observational evidence is so compelling that anyone can grasp for himself that the moon's surface is not smooth and polished but rough and uneven. Like the Earth it is covered all over with huge bumps, deep holes, and chasms" He went on to provide sketches of the terminator, showing large craters and high mountains.

Five years later, on 28 February 1615 he received a sharp letter from a high officer of the Vatican warning of the dangerous speculation arising from his claims, namely that the Moon had similarities to Earth.

My source of this information http://bit.ly/7WsibK