IAU Symposium 269 celebrates the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's discovery of the Medicean Moons, Jupiter's four largest satellites, exploring the impact his findings have had on science and the humanities. Galileo's instrumental discovery and his belief that the planets and moons in our Solar System could be habitable worlds encouraged a deeper understanding of our place in the Universe. Today, ongoing space missions to Jupiter's moons, our own Moon, Mars, Saturn, and Enceladus, reveal our continued fascination with the possibilities of alien life, but this time with a focus on...

The idea of having a conference in Padova describing the results obtained by the Galileo spacecraft and the characteristics of the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo began in 1995, when a number of colleagues from both sides of the Atlantic began exchanging suggestions and ideas. Looking at the schedules of the two teams, it was clear that the beginning of January 1997 would be a good time to hold the conference; these dates also luckily coincided with the dates of the memorable discovery of the Medicean moons of Jupiter by Galileo Galilei in Padova in 1610. To emphasize these three elements, the...

The idea of having a conference in Padova describing the results obtained by the Galileo spacecraft and the characteristics of the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo began in 1995, when a number of colleagues from both sides of the Atlantic began exchanging suggestions and ideas. Looking at the schedules of the two teams, it was clear that the beginning of January 1997 would be a good time to hold the conference; these dates also luckily coincided with the dates of the memorable discovery of the Medicean moons of Jupiter by Galileo Galilei in Padova in 1610. To emphasize these three elements, the...