The Renaissance was a period in our history where many new discoveries and ideas emerged. The Renaissance is said to have taken place in the 15th and 16th centuries in Italy and some parts of Europe. This time period was important to human intellectual development and was essential in shaping our world, as we know it today. The Renaissance was sparked largely by two related events: the fall of Constantinople and the surge of ancient texts available to scholars in Europe. These two triggers have allowed many scholars to gain knowledge from ancient texts they would never have had access to. However, these scholars did not just take the information at face value and leave nothing behind, they sought to understand and deepen their knowledge and used this information as guides. This idea leads to a very significant intellectual movement called Renaissance humanism, which is an important idea when trying to understand the method on which Galileo's discoveries were based. Renaissance humanism was simply a cultural and intellectual shift, in that the discoveries of the Renaissance were made for the benefit of human beings rather than discoveries with theological implications. Humanist methodology was the reason why Galileo Galilei was a typical Renaissance astronomer rather than simply an ancient astronomer. To understand the differences between Renaissance and ancient astronomy, it is necessary to take into consideration many factors, the cultural and intellectual freedoms of the world time. In ancient times, astronomy was very unpredictable and often imprecise. This was because many astronomers decided to use their observations and calculations to prove or reinforce Aristotelian ideas. Ptolemy, for example, was a... center of paper... of their discoveries. The shift has occurred from reliance on the use of ancient texts and discoveries made with theological importance to sensemaking experiments as academic authority and discoveries made with practical applications. Galileo understood that intellectual discovery had to be practical and had to be demonstrated with the use of the senses and he based most of his discoveries on this. Galileo lived in the Renaissance, a time when many new changes occurred; some cultural and others belong to the realm of science. These changes in ideology and culture are very important as they have helped shape our world, as we know it today. Works Cited Andrew Ede and Lesley B. Cormack (2004). A history of science in society: from philosophy to utility. Broadview Press.Andrew Ede and Lesley B. Cormack (eds.). (2007). A history of science in society: AReader. Broadview Press.