The landmark volume centers on Galileo Galilei's 1610 treatise, *Sidereus Nuncius*, which documented the first observed moons orbiting Jupiter using an improved telescope constructed in 1609. Bound alongside it is a 1611 rebuttal by Francesco Sizzi, who claimed the newfound celestial bodies were merely optical illusions. Galileo famously refrained from formally refuting Sizzi's arguments in order to protect their personal friendship. The book also includes contemporary scientific treatises by Marcus Antonius de Dominis and Giovanni Antonio Magini.
Key points
The included texts capture the direct seventeenth-century debate between Galileo's telesc…: The included texts capture the direct seventeenth-century debate between Galileo's telescopic discoveries and traditional Aristotelian celestial models.
Four Jovian satellites identified in the text are modernly recognized as the moons Io, Eu…: Four Jovian satellites identified in the text are modernly recognized as the moons Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.
The volume compiles four early scientific first editions, including treatises addressing…: The volume compiles four early scientific first editions, including treatises addressing optics, rainbows, and concave mirrors.
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Galileo Galilei is a name that needs no introduction. In 1610, Italian astronomer Galileo published a small book that challenged the way people understood the universe. He used a telescope and observed four bodies moving around Jupiter, providing evidence that not everything in the universe revolved around Earth.
However, it’s normal that people generally are not convinced with anything that challenges their notion or age-old beliefs. Among those who challenged his findings was astronomer Francesco Sizzi, who argued that the supposed moons were optical illusions produced by the telescope.
Now over 400 years later, the books documenting these opposing views have become part of an extraordinary story of scientific discovery.
Rs 2.07 crore bookIn February 2026, a rare volume containing Galileo’s landmark publication alongside three other early works on astronomy and optics sold at Christie’s for US$217,600, approximately Rs 2.07 crore. It was a collection that was offered as part of the auction house’s sale of fine printed books, manuscripts and science.
The little book that changed astronomyBook at Christie's auction (PC: Christie)
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