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๐ญ Famous Astronomers
Galileo Galilei
Father of modern astronomy; first to use a telescope to observe the sky; proved Earth orbits the Sun
Italy ๐ฎ๐น 1609 Famous Astronomers
Key Facts
- 1
1609: improved the telescope (invented by Lippershey) and first observed mountains on the Moon, Jupiter's moons
- 2
Confirmed the Copernican heliocentric model โ Earth orbits the Sun; placed under house arrest by the Inquisition (1633)
- 3
Discovered 4 Galilean moons of Jupiter (Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto); observed sunspots; invented the thermoscope
๐ Did you know? Galileo was placed under house arrest for saying the Earth moves around the Sun; the Church apologised in 1992 โ 359 years later
Quick Reference
Category
Famous Astronomers
Region
๐ฎ๐น Italy
Year / Era
1609
About
Father of modern astronomy