12.Galileo Galilei

Galileo Galilei was an Italian Phycist and astronomer. He was in Pisa on February 15,1564.Galileo's father Vincenzo Galilei, was a well known musician. Vincenzo decided that his son should become a doctor.
           In 1581, Galileo was sent to University of Pisa to study medicine. While a student in University, Galileo discovered that he had talent for Mathematics. He was able to persuade his father to allow him to leave the University and become a tutor in Mathematics. He later became a professor of Mathematics.
In 1609, Galileo heard about the invention of spyglass, a device whish made distant objects appear closer. Galileo used his mathematical knowledge and technical skillls to improve upon the skyglass and build a telescope. Later in the same year, he became the first person to see the Moon through a telescope and made an astronomy discovery. He was that Moon was not smooth but mountainous and pitted-just like the Earth. He subsequently used his newly invented telescope to discover four of the moons circling Jupiter. He also observed Saturn using telescope. He also observed the phases of Venus and sunspots on the Sun.
        Galileo's study strengthen this belief in Copernicus' theory that Earth and all other planets revolve arond the Sun. Most people in Galileo's time believed that Earth was the center of the Universe and Sun and all other planets revolve aroud it. The Catholic Church which was very powerful and influential in Galileo's time, strongly supported the theory of the geocentric, or Earth-Centered Universe. After Galileo began publishing papers about his astronomy discoveries and his beliefs in a heliocentric or sun-centered Universe, he was called to Rome to answer charges against him by the inquisition ( the legal body of the Catholic Church). Early in 1616, Galileo was accused of being heretic, a person who opposed Church techniques. Herecu was a crime for which people were sometimes sentenced to death. Galileo was cleared of charges of heresy, but was told that he should no longer publicly state that Earth moved around the Sun. Galileo was convinced that Earth revolve around the Sun.
           In 1632, he published a book that stated, among other things, that the heliocentric theory of Copernicus was correct. Galileo was once again called before the  Inquisition and this time he was found guilty of heresy. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1633. Because of his poor health, he was allowed to serve his imprisonment under house arrest. Galileo died on Januaury 8, 1642.