Can an Artificial Intelligence (AI) be of use in studying the history of astronomy? Might an AI help me to gain some insights that I would not gain otherwise, or find material that I would not find otherwise? I tried this some months ago with several different AIs, and the answer to these questions was pretty clearly “no”. (Click here for all my posts on AI and history of astronomy.) However, those AIs were some of the lesser-known ones. What about Microsoft’s new Bing AI? I signed up to use it, and tried it out. Let us see how that went!
In the material below, you will find what I “said” to Bing indicated by ME (in blue), and what Bing “said” to me indicated by BING (in gold). In places I insert commentary into the me-Bing “dialogue”; that is indicated by [brackets with boldface type]. In other places I edit out material for length; that is indicated by ellipses (…).
Here is how things went —
ME: I would like some general information on the history of astronomy.
BING: Astronomy is the study of celestial objects and phenomena in the universe. It is one of the oldest natural sciences, dating back to ancient times when people observed the sky and tried to explain what they saw [Bing includes links and a sort of footnotes to, in a way, “cite its sources”, much but not all of which is Wikipedia; I have removed those links and footnotes].
Some of the earliest civilizations that practiced astronomy were Ancient Greece, China, India, Mesopotamia, Egypt and Mesoamerica. They used astronomy for religious, mythological, cosmological, calendrical and astrological purposes. They also developed mathematical tools such as geometry and trigonometry to measure and predict the motions of the stars, planets, Sun and Moon.
The invention of the telescope in the 17th century was a major breakthrough for astronomy. It allowed astronomers to observe distant objects with more detail and accuracy. Some of the pioneers of telescopic astronomy were Galileo Galilei, Johannes Kepler, Tycho Brahe [no — he died prior to the advent of the telescope] and Isaac Newton. They discovered new phenomena such as moons around other planets, phases of Venus, sunspots, comets [no — these were long known; visible to the naked eye] and gravity.
Modern astronomy has expanded its scope beyond visible light…. [It is unclear why Bing jumped from the seventeenth century to give one paragraph on the twentieth.]
I hope this gives you a general overview of the history of astronomy. If you want to learn more about any specific topic or period, please let me know. [Here Bing adds a smiley face. It adds smiley faces a lot.]
The seventeenth century is my primary area of research, so I asked Bing about what it had said regarding the telescope in that century.
ME: Tell me about the invention of the telescope in the 17th century and how it was a breakthrough.
BING: The telescope is a device that uses lenses or mirrors to collect and magnify light from distant objects. The first person to patent the telescope was Hans Lippershey, a Dutch eyeglass maker, in 1608 [hmmm]. His telescope used a convex objective lens and a concave eyepiece lens to form an image that was up to three times larger than normal.
The invention of the telescope was a breakthrough for astronomy because it allowed astronomers to observe celestial objects with more detail and accuracy than ever before. One of the first astronomers to use the telescope for this purpose was Galileo Galilei, an Italian scientist, who made many discoveries such as the moons of Jupiter, the phases of Venus, the craters on the Moon and the spots on the Sun. He also supported the heliocentric theory of Copernicus, which stated that the Earth and other planets revolved around the Sun. [So far, so good — Bing has introduced Galileo and the information so far is correct.]
Other astronomers who contributed to telescopic astronomy in the 17th century were Johannes Kepler, a German mathematician and astronomer, who improved the design of refracting telescopes by using two convex lenses; Tycho Brahe, a Danish nobleman and astronomer, who made accurate observations of planetary positions without using a telescope [so why is he mentioned?]; and Isaac Newton, an English physicist and mathematician, who invented the reflecting telescope that used mirrors instead of lenses to avoid chromatic aberration.
The invention of the telescope in the 17th century was a milestone in human history. It opened up new horizons for exploring and understanding our universe. It also challenged some of the prevailing beliefs and assumptions about our place in nature. It inspired generations of scientists and curious minds to pursue knowledge and discovery.
Do you have any questions or comments about this topic? [Smiley face.]
Here I see a hint of difficulty. In wrapping up, Bing says the telescope “challenged … prevailing beliefs and assumptions about our place in nature”, but nothing it provided prior to that paragraph said anything about such challenges. Prior to that paragraph, neither “challenge” nor “belief” nor “place” had been used. No doubt these words appeared because, statistically speaking, text about the seventeenth century and astronomy includes such language regarding something Bing does mention — the telescope and heliocentrism. I go in that direction.
ME: What about the heliocentric theory and the telescope?
BING: The heliocentric theory is a cosmological model that states that the Sun is at or near the center of the solar system and that the Earth and other planets revolve around it. This theory was first proposed by Nicolaus Copernicus, a Polish astronomer, in his book On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres published in 1543. [I find it interesting that one of the sources cited here is Khan Academy, the other is Britannica.com.]
The heliocentric theory was important because it challenged the prevailing geocentric theory that placed the Earth at the center of the universe and was supported by the Catholic Church [you knew the Church was going to appear eventually] and most scholars at that time. The geocentric theory was based on the ancient teachings of Aristotle and Ptolemy, who believed that all heavenly bodies were perfect spheres moving in circular orbits.
The telescope was a crucial instrument for proving [big “uh-oh” here] and supporting [hmmm] the heliocentric theory. One of its main users was Galileo Galilei, who made several observations that contradicted the geocentric theory [of Ptolemy and Aristotle] and confirmed [really big “uh-oh”] the heliocentric theory. For example, he observed that:
- The Moon had a rough and cratered surface, not a smooth one as Aristotle claimed.
- Venus had phases like the Moon, which could only be explained if it orbited around the Sun.
- Jupiter had four moons of its own, which showed that not everything revolved around the Earth.
- The Sun had dark spots on its surface, which indicated that it was not a perfect [unblemished?] sphere as Ptolemy assumed.
Galileo’s discoveries were met with resistance and hostility by some religious authorities who accused him of heresy and forced him to recant his views under threat of torture. He spent his last years under house arrest until his death in 1642.
Here we are going off the rails. The bulleted statements are correct, but how did they confirm the heliocentric theory? None of these show that Earth circles the sun; those who opposed Galileo understood this. Venus circling the sun, or moons circling Jupiter, doesn’t confirm that Earth circles the sun. In using words like “prove” and “confirm”, Bing is getting into misinformation — and even “support” is questionable. The statement that Galileo’s discoveries were met with resistance and hostility is likewise problematic, since those discoveries were in fact confirmed by Church astronomers. There were not observers who got ahold of telescopes, looked at Venus for themselves, and declared “that’s not there — that’s heresy”. The resistance and hostility was to Galileo’s interpretation of his discoveries as supporting heliocentrism.
BING (continued from above): Other astronomers who used telescopes to support or refine the heliocentric theory were Johannes Kepler, who discovered that planets moved in elliptical orbits instead of circular ones; Christiaan Huygens, who discovered Saturn’s rings and largest moon Titan; Giovanni Cassini, who measured Saturn’s rotation period and discovered four more moons; and Edmond Halley, who predicted the return of a comet now named after him.
The heliocentric theory and telescope revolutionized astronomy by providing a more accurate and realistic picture of our solar system. They also paved the way for further discoveries about other stars, galaxies, nebulae etc.
Is there anything else you would like to know about this topic? [Smiley face!]
ME: Yes — more about Galileo and his discoveries being met with resistance and hostility, please.
BING: Galileo was one of the first scientists to openly support the heliocentric theory of Copernicus, which contradicted the geocentric theory that was endorsed by the Catholic Church and most scholars at that time. The Church believed that the geocentric theory was consistent with the biblical teachings and that the heliocentric theory was contrary to them.
Galileo’s discoveries with his telescope, such as the moons of Jupiter, the phases of Venus, and the spots on the Sun, provided strong evidence for the heliocentric theory [wrong!] and challenged some of the assumptions and arguments of the geocentric theory [right!]. He also wrote books and letters to explain and defend his views to other scientists, philosophers, and theologians.
However, Galileo’s discoveries were met with resistance and hostility by some religious authorities who saw them as a threat to their authority and doctrine. In 1616, he was summoned by the Inquisition, a tribunal of the Church that dealt with cases of heresy and other crimes against faith. He was warned not to teach or defend heliocentrism as it was declared “formally heretical” by a decree issued by Pope Paul V.
OK, here Bing has entered into the realm of pure misinformation. A group of consultants for the Inquisition declared, in an internal document, that heliocentrism was formally heretical, but this statement was not endorsed by the Inquisition at the time, and certainly not issued in a papal decree. The only public statement in 1616 was from the Congregation for the Index (of prohibited books), which did publicly state that heliocentrism was “contrary to scripture” (which it is, from a literal reading) and “false” (which they and many others thought it was, in large part for various reasons related to science).
Bing (continued): Galileo obeyed this order for a while but resumed his advocacy for heliocentrism in 1632 when he published his book Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, which compared and contrasted both theories in a fictional dialogue between three characters. The book was widely read and praised but also aroused suspicion and criticism from some Church officials who accused Galileo of violating his previous injunction.
In 1633, Galileo was again summoned by the Inquisition, this time under Pope Urban VIII, who had initially been friendly and supportive of Galileo but later changed his attitude after reading his book. Galileo was interrogated for several days under threat of torture and forced to renounce his views on heliocentrism. He was convicted of “vehement suspicion of heresy” and sentenced to life imprisonment, which was later commuted to house arrest.
Galileo spent his last nine years under house arrest in various locations near Florence. He continued to work on scientific topics such as mechanics, hydrostatics, optics etc., but he could not publish or communicate freely with other scientists. He also suffered from poor health conditions such as blindness, fever etc., until his death in 1642. [Remarkably, at this point Bing cites *me*! The citation is an article in the on-line Catholic publication Aleteia: “The truth about Galileo and the Catholic Church”]
Galileo’s trial is considered one of the most famous examples of conflict between science and religion in history. It also shows how political factors influenced scientific debates at that time. Galileo’s contributions to astronomy were eventually recognized by later generations of scientists who confirmed his observations and theories.
I hope this answers your question about Galileo’s discoveries being met with resistance and hostility. [Smiley again.]
ME: It is not clear to me exactly what discovery was met with resistance and hostility? Was it the phases of Venus or moons of Jupiter? And if so, then what was the objection to them? [Come on, Bing AI, show me what you got!]
BING: The main discovery of Galileo that was met with resistance and hostility was his support for heliocentrism, the theory that the Earth and other planets revolve around the Sun. This theory was considered heretical by the Catholic Church because it contradicted some biblical passages that implied that the Earth was stationary and at the center of the universe.
The phases of Venus and the moons of Jupiter were some of the observations that Galileo made with his telescope that supported heliocentrism. The phases of Venus showed that it orbited around the Sun, not around the Earth as some geocentric models [especially Ptolemy’s] assumed. The moons of Jupiter showed that there were other centers of motion in the solar system besides the Earth. [Both the Venus phases and other centers of motion were also fully compatible with some other geocentric models, like that of Tycho Brahe].
The objection to these observations was based on theological and philosophical grounds, not on empirical evidence. Some religious authorities argued that heliocentrism contradicted Scripture, tradition, and common sense. They also claimed that Galileo’s interpretation of his observations was not conclusive or definitive, and that there could be alternative explanations that were compatible with geocentrism.
That last sentence is actually pretty good. The first sentence is terrible, however. Once again, there were no “objections to these observations”, namely the Venus phases and Jovian moons. No one who got ahold of a good telescope and learned how to use it (such as many Church astronomers) said “what we see through the telescope is not there”. And the telescope did not provide empirical evidence for heliocentrism (such as it would have had annual parallax been observed in stars), so the phrase about empirical evidence is really a bad fit.
BING (continued): Galileo tried to reconcile his discoveries with his faith by arguing that Scripture should not be taken literally when it comes to natural phenomena, but rather interpreted according to reason and science. He also argued that his observations were consistent with reality and could not be dismissed or ignored by appealing to authority or tradition.
However, his arguments did not convince some Church officials who saw him as a threat to their power and doctrine. They accused him of violating Church decrees and teaching false doctrines. They also tried to discredit his reputation and influence among other scientists and scholars.
I hope this clarifies what discovery of Galileo was met with resistance and hostility. [Another smiley!]
At this point I tried to take a slightly different approach. I started over, and asked the following:
ME: Why is it that Galileo’s support for heliocentrism is often treated as one of his discoveries, like the phases of Venus?
BING: Hello, this is Bing. I’m glad you asked. Galileo’s support for heliocentrism was not his original discovery, but rather a confirmation of Copernicus’ theory that the Earth and other planets revolve around the Sun. Galileo used his improved telescope to observe celestial phenomena that supported this theory, such as the phases of Venus and the four moons of Jupiter. These observations challenged the prevailing geocentric model that placed the Earth at the center of the universe. Galileo’s discoveries were revolutionary and controversial at his time, and he faced opposition from the Catholic Church for defending heliocentrism. [The result of my different approach was essentially the same.]
This is the fourth AI I have tested on history of astronomy. Two were simply not up to the task at all. Bing’s AI does better than CHAI’s, but it is also less interesting. It essentially distills down the usual stuff you find online about the history of astronomy, and, like CHAI, propagates the usual errors (albeit not as dramatically as CHAI). It strongly pushes the idea that Galileo’s discoveries themselves were opposed on religious grounds, when in fact they were accepted even by people such as Christina of Lorraine who did oppose the heliocentric system because of its apparent conflict with scripture (click here for her story, a clear illustration of this). And all the Bing AI’s errors are in one direction; it never errs in misrepresenting Galileo’s opponents positively and Galileo negatively.
Microsoft’s AI does not help in gaining insight or finding material on the subject of the history of astronomy. So far I would say that AIs are looking pretty useless when it comes to that subject. They seem like they will just reinforce the usual internet problem of bad information.
Well, maybe the famous Chat GPT will do better. I have not tried it yet.
Click here for all my posts on AI and history of astronomy.
