Galileo's Accomplishments

Galileo was an extremely influential figure in the field of science during the Renaissance period. He was born as Galileo Galilei on February 15, 1564, in Pisa, Italy. Galileo died on January 8, 1642, at the age of 77, in Arcetri, Italy, where he was under house arrest. He is most commonly known for inventing the telescope, however, he accomplished much more than that. Galileo’s childhood was fairly pleasant, as he was born into a family of nobility, even though his family was not particularly rich. Galileo was the first of six children born to Vincenzo Galilei, a prominent composer and musician, and Giulia degli Ammannati(Famous). Galileo acquired some of his father’s musical talent and was a proficient lute player(Famous). When Galileo
Galileo made many significant additions to science, earning him the nickname, “Father of Modern Science”(Galileo Galilei Biography). He has been credited with inventing the telescope. After hearing about telescopes made in Europe he decided to make one by himself. Galileo’s telescope magnified objects twenty times, significantly more than any of the other telescopes at the time(Van Helden). He used the telescope he created to observe the sky, causing him to make many discoveries. Galileo discovered that the moon’s surface is rocky and has mountains and craters(BBC News). He discovered Jupiter’s largest moons, now referred to as the ‘Galilean Satellites’, Venus’s phases, Saturn’s rings, and the planet Neptune(Famous). Galileo also discovered that the set of perfect squares have the same amount of members as the set of whole numbers, which is currently known as ‘Galileo’s Paradox’(Famous). He also stated the principle of inertia, now known as Newton’s First Law of Motion, and the first theory of relativity(Famous). Galileo also disproved Aristotelian physics. Aristotle stated that a heavier object will fall faster through a medium than a lighter one, Galileo rejected this statement by affirming that, regardless of density, all objects fall at the same rate in a vacuum(Van Helden). Galileo has published well over seven written works. Currently many things are dedicated to Galileo, such as the Galilean moons, Asteroid 697 Galilea, the Galileo Spacecraft, and many more(Galileo Galilei Biography). Galileo was an extremely influential figure during the Renaissance, and has thus helped shape modern science. He made many contributions to the field of science that would have been left undiscovered if not for him. Galileo started as a medical student, and because he decided to do what he was passionate about, he made incredible discoveries and faced adversity. However, even with the difficulties he faced, he managed to