It is 400 years since Galileo first pointed his telescope at the stars of Renaissance Italy and saw more than had ever been imagined before. A controversial and rebellious personality, his actions produced evidence for the Copernican theory that the earth revolved around the sun, and in so doing challenged the 17th century concept of the universe and attracted the wrath of the Inquisition.

Galileo's telescopes represented a ten-fold improvement over his unaided eye; opening up whole new worlds. While these telescopes had their limitations, advances in technology have led, over time, to the multitude of instruments available to 21st Century astronomers, which continue to reveal new and unexpected aspects of the Universe.

Join host, Rob Morrison, and our panel Marcello Costa, Romano Rubichi and Roger Clay for a fascinating historical, scientific and artistic insight into life in Galileo’s Europe, touching on everything from Renaissance art to the scientific revolution, telescopes then and now, and anything else they fancy!

9pm-10pm Complimentary drinks and nibbles will be provided by the Italian Consulate and the Dante Alighieri Society.

Prof Marcello Costa has a personal chair in Neuroscience at Flinders University and is a member of the Australian Academy of Science. His passion for the origin and nature of scientific knowledge has led to an ongoing enthusiasm for public engagement with science, and in 2008 he received South Australia’s ‘Unsung Heroes of Science Communication’ award.

Prof Roger Clay is an active and prominent astrophysicist at the University of Adelaide, where he is involved in the High Energy Astrophysics research group and is currently working on the biggest telescope ever built.

Prof Rob Morrison has had a distinguished career as a broadcaster on science radio (eg, Ockham's Razor and The Science Show for ABC radio) and television (eg, Curiosity Show, Nexus). He is also a successful science writer for children. Rob is currently Chair of SciWorld and Patron of National Science Week SA.

Romano Rubichi has had a distinguished career in the maintenance and development of the Italian language and culture in SA, including as Head of the SA Education Department’s Bilingual Education Program, founder of the Italian Studies Department at the South Australian College of Advanced Education, Senior Lecturer and Head of the School of Languages at the University of Adelaide and Presiding Officer and Director of the South Australian Institute of Languages. His passion for Italian history and science makes him the ideal person to place Galileo’s life in an historical perspective.

This Science Outside the Square (SOS) event forms part of National Science Week and the celebration for the International year of Astronomy. It is presented by the RiAus, in conjunction with the Italian Consulate, the Dante Alighieri Society and the Association of Researchers of Italian origin in Australia (ARIA SA).