“The Astronomy of Galileo” delves into what was once a dangerous idea: that the Earth moves around the sun.

Four centuries ago, the “sun-centered” cosmic view would put the astronomer on a collision course with the Roman Inquisition.
The Bishop Museum’s J. Watumull Planetarium (right) now offers a 30-minute program focusing on discoveries made by Galileo between 1609 and 1613 — from the mountains of the moon to the phases of Venus to the four large moons of Jupiter. Audience members even get to double-check some of those observations. One brainteaser involves replicating Galileo’s 1610 observations of the moons of Jupiter to estimate how long it takes each moon to orbit the giant planet.
The program, which has been a part of the planetarium’s daily schedule since mid-November, is suitable for museumgoers age 6 and older. It will get under way at 3:30 this afternoon. Also on the schedule: “The Sky Tonight,” a 30-minute show at 11:30 a.m.; and “Explorers of Polynesia,” a 45-minute show, at 1:30 p.m. Due to the darkness of the planetarium, there is no late seating for any show; times are subject to change.
In the nearby Castle Memorial Building, “Dinosaurs Unearthed,” a national traveling exhibit featuring fossils, an excavation pit, and robotic dinosaurs — including a 27-foot Tyrannosaurus rex — is wrapping up its last weekend.