Galileo Galilei: The Father Of Astronomy

Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) is a very prominent name that you may of heard of in Science class.

Galileo is most memorable in the field of astronomy, although he did play other roles in science. He played a major role in the Science Revolution.

Galileo’s major achievements include: improving the telescope, making very important astronomical discoveries, and supporting the Copernicus hypothesis.

Through his telescope, in 1609, he saw the moon, the moons of Jupiter, and other very important discoveries.

In 1610, Galileo wrote the famous treatise called The Starry Messenger. He observed that the moon was not perfectly smooth, and had mountains and valleys. Galileo also observed sunspots, another great achievement for his time.

Galileo was condemned by the Catholic church and went on trial in 1633. One of the greatest figures in history was forced to recant his theory that the earth moved around the sun.

Galileo returned to his home near Florence, Italy, where he remained on house arrest for the rest of his life.

If you happen to be in Philadelphia, from April until September of 2009, you must go to The Franklin Intitute Science Museum. Galileo’s three-foot telescope will be on exhibition. It is one of only two of his telescopes still known to exist.

This is the first time that the telescope will be outside of Italy, and probably the only time it will be in America. If you miss this opportunity, you will have to go to the Intitute And Museum Of The History Of Science, which is located in Florence, Italy.