Body of Evidence by Jaques

Puzzle explanation

The omitted letters spelt out “Galileo Galilei, Dialogo dei massimi sistemi”, a reference to Galileo’s book comparing Copernican cosmology with the traditional Ptolemaic system. EARTH appeared six times in the grid, forming an approximate ellipse around the SUN (near to one of the foci). The ellipse had to be moved the correct distance so that Galileo’s attributed remark “Eppur si muove” (“But it does move”) filled the central row. That remark was the evident truth to be highlighted; any other highlighting in solutions was ignored.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Answer Explanation
Across
1 A[G]ORA AORTA − T
4 R[A]THE R + THE
7 APPA[L] (n)APPA
10 URETER[I]T[I]S TERTS after URE
11 OR[L]OP POOR *
12 CH[EE]PS CH + PS
13 AT[O]MISTS STATISM *
14 THEUR[G]IES THEORIES with U for O
18 P[A]PE PPE
20 SHA[L]E SHAPE − P
22 APPU[I] PU after AP
23 SIMU[L] MUSI(c) *
24 T[E]STAM[E]NTAR TSAR around (TAM + NT)
25 HORAT[I]O (O + RAT) in HO(ld)
28 BE[D]POST POS in BET
30 LENT[I]LS L(istlessnes)S after LENT
31 R[A]IRDS (R(aucous) S(houting)) around (I’ + RD)
32 S[L]EEVEEN SEEN around EVE
33 [O]SSIA S(tage) S(how) I(nvestigating) A(BBA)
34 TRAN[G]LE ANTLER *
Down
1 AUCT[O]R TR after AUC
2 RE[D] PEPPERS RE-PEPPERS
3 [E]ATS UP AT + SUP
4 RET[I]RERS (ERR + REST) *
5 TRA[M] ART <
6 H[A]TTERI[A] HITTER with I moved to end
7 A[SS]OIL O in AIL
8 PO[S]TCAVA (CAV(e) + A) after POT
9 AP[I]SH APSE − E + (churc)H
15 HYPNOTIS[M] I in PYTHON’S *
16 SOMMEL[I]ER REL < after SOMME
17 PHOTOGEN[S] PEN around (HOT + GO <)
19 ASTON[I]SH AS + TON’S + H
21 EAR-[S]TONE EAR + TONE
22 AE[T]HERS HEARSE *
26 ALD[E]A A(n)D(a)L(u)C(i)A < − C
27 TE[M]SE TENSE − N
29 SH[I]EL (Cere)S HEL(ios)
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