Galileo: Father of Modern Science

10 Galileo: Father of Modern Science In Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries, society was entering the scientific age. Many ancient beliefs were being questioned and proven false. For example, up until this era, many people believed that the earth was flat. They also believed that the earth was the centre of the universe. Galileo Galilei, an Italian astronomer and mathematician, was at the forefront of this movement, which came to be known as the Scientific Revolution. Galileo's inquisitive mind and keen observation skills made him the most famous scientist of his time. His ideas also put him in danger of being killed. He was, after all, questioning the beliefs of some of the most powerful men of his time. For more than 1, 500 years, Europeans had believed that the sun, the planets and all heavenly objects travelled around the earth.

In 1609, Galileo built one of the world's first telescopes. It was capable of magnifying objects by a power of three. He soon improved this design by building a telescope with 30 times the magnification. With these inventions, he ushered in the age of modern astronomy. On a cold January night in 1610, with the benefit of this new powerful telescope, Galileo saw something that changed people's understanding of the world. He observed that Jupiter had four moons travelling around it. If heavenly objects orbited Jupiter, then the idea that everything orbited the earth must be incorrect. It was soon clear to Galileo that the earth could not be the centre of the universe. This conclusion got him into a lot of trouble with powerful church leaders. He was called to Rome to face a legal tribunal, where he was warned not to say or publish anything about his new idea. But Galileo could not hold his tongue forever. A few years later, he published his theory in a popular book. He was again put on trial, and could have been sentenced to death by burning at the stake. However, he was sentenced to house arrest for the remainder of his life. He died under house arrest at the age of 77, in 1642. Galileo Galilei suffered much during his life. But he later achieved world recognition, which he truly deserved.