Galileo Galilei

Galileo may have been the greatest astronomer of all time; his brave actions brought the world into an age of science. He put most of his time and energy into studying the orbits of satellites in the solar system. These studies gave him the idea for heliocentrism, the theory that the sun is the center of the universe. Although he was wrong, his scientific readings paved the way for scientists in the future.

Galileo’s full name was Galileo Di Vincenso Bonaiuti De’ Galilei, He was born in Pisa, February 15, 1564. His family later went to live in Florence. Here he went to college to get a degree in mathematics. However, he did consider becoming a priest.

Despite the fact that he did not complete this degree, in 1592 he became the chair of mathematics. Later, in 1610, he observed what appeared to be fixed stars around Jupiter; he noticed that they were orbiting Jupiter. This showed that not all things orbit the earth, which gave him the idea of “Heliocentrism” (that is the idea that the sun is the center of the universe). Galileo published his data the same year.

His discoveries angered the “holy office” of his day. They are the people who head the Catholic Church. At the time, the Catholic Church ruled Rome. For his scientific beliefs, Galileo was put on trial, and was found guilty. He was put under house arrest for the rest of his life while the pope restricted his movements. He died there on January 8th, 1642 at the age of 77.

Galileo’s bravery and determination are why he is my hero.