If you have a couple free hours sometime before September 7, you should check out the Galileo: the Medici and the Age of Astronomy exhibit at the Franklin Institute.

Thanks to the Franklin Institute's partnership with the Instituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza in Florence, Philadelphia is the only city in North America lucky enough to house this exhibit which has been displayed since early April.

The average American probably knows that Galileo made contributions to astronomy, physics, and math, but most do not know exactly what accomplishments he made and what ties he had to the royal Medici family.

The beginning of the exhibit featured scientists and their respective discoveries leading up to Galileo. The first recorded astronomer, Paolo de Pozzo Toscanelli, who dates back to the early 14th century, was shown along with some of the discoveries of his time including the abacus, the powder hourglass, and the drawing compass. Scientists to follow included Archimedes, Brunelleschi, Taccola, Martini, and da Vinci. Armillaries, who is also mentioned, was the person responsible for finding the sun on the zodiac in 1575.

As early as the 15th century, there was a great appreciation for science and art "entwined." Painting, sculpture, architecture, and astronomy were embraced and by combining these areas of study, many discoveries were made in years to come.

Galileo, nicknamed by Albert Einstein as the “Father of Modern Science,” was supported financially by the Medici family. It was not uncommon for royal families such as the Medicis to support artistic or scientific geniuses; this was known at the time as patronage. During Galileo's time with the Medicis, he even tutored one of the sons, Cosino II de' Medici, who later gave him a lifetime salaried position on his court.

Many of Galileo's discoveries were on display, including one of his two remaining telescopes, circa 1610. Other interesting models were his gunners level, which was used to aim guns, as well as a pendulum clock. Many of his study books with his notes were available to view including all of his notes on Jupiter's four satellites and his spyglass and telescope notes. Other scientists after Galileo were given credit for perfecting the focus on the lens of his telescope; many of these models were on display as well, including Newton's telescope from 1668.

At the conclusion of the exhibit, there was a small but interesting section which discussed the controversy that occurred when Galileo was suspected of heresy for his heliocentric (or sun-centered) worldview hypothesis. This issue of science versus religious faith led Galileo to be put under house arrest at the age of 69.

Overall, this was a very culturally rich, informative exhibit filled with hours of information for all the scientific and astronomical buffs out there. If you are interested in getting the most out of it, allow yourself at least an hour or two to take in the wealth of information and explore all the models.