Disintegration of Astronomical Divinity

What stood out most for me in the reading was how Galileo's work tore down the divine conception of the universe. Through his observation of the surface of the moon, he illustrated that the moon seems to be comprised of the same materials that make up the earth. Additionally, Jupiter's moons illustrate that earth's relationship with its moon is not unique. Although Cohen does glorify Galileo, I think he has a point to say that Galileo was the death knell for the classical view of the world. Although Copernicus had come up with the heliocentric system, many around Europe still had not bought into his system. Many were still desperately trying to hold onto the ancient, geocentric worldview. Although the ancients believed that the heavens were divine, one can't help but feel that the geocentric system gives a privileged position to the observer from earth: the entire system (stars, planets, sun, moon) revolves around the earth. By having the heavens divine, there was an automatic separation of the two realms. When Galileo demonstrated that the moon looks the same as the earth, the earth's uniqueness is destroyed; its significance, lessened. What does this realization mean Galileo's contemporaries? Is it an exciting new frontier of new knowledge? Or does it weaken man's estimation of himself in relation to the universe?