Where was galileo born

Galileo's experiments into gravity refuted Aristotle  ©Galileo was a hugely influential Italian astronomer, physicist and philosopher.

Galileo Galilei was born on 15 February near Pisa, the son of a musician. He began to study medicine at the University of Pisa but changed to philosophy and mathematics.

Bbc short biography of galileo This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Galileo died in Arcetri on 8 January However, Galileo was a resolute supporter of the Copernican theory. The Geocentric model of the universe which was embraced by earlier astronomers had the Earth at the center of the universe with other objects moving around it.

In , he became professor of mathematics at Pisa. In , he moved to become mathematics professor at the University of Padua, a position he held until During this time he worked on a variety of experiments, including the speed at which different objects fall, mechanics and pendulums.

In , Galileo heard about the invention of the telescope in Holland.

Without having seen an example, he constructed a superior version and made many astronomical discoveries. These included mountains and valleys on the surface of the moon, sunspots, the four largest moons of the planet Jupiter and the phases of the planet Venus. His work on astronomy made him famous and he was appointed court mathematician in Florence.

In , Galileo was accused of heresy for his support of the Copernican theory that the sun was at the centre of the solar system. This was revolutionary at a time when most people believed the Earth was in this central position.

Bbc short biography of galileo galilei Firstly he could see many stars not visible without a telescope. Then in , Galileo heard of a new invention from Holland. According to James Hannam, the expert for our Life of the Week podcast episode on Galileo, he was born into a relatively affluent family in Pisa, a thriving university city in Tuscany. Such a view of the universe differed strongly with the beliefs of the Catholic Church at the time and Galileo was forced to withdraw many of his ideas and even spent the final years of his life under house arrest.

In , he was forbidden by the church from teaching or advocating these theories.

In , he was again condemned for heresy after his book 'Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems' was published. This set out the arguments for and against the Copernican theory in the form of a discussion between two men. Galileo was summoned to appear before the Inquisition in Rome.

Short biography of isaac newton He is one of the few famous people known by his first name rather than surname. USA Subscription offer! What is more, he included a character called Simplicio , apparently mocking those who obstinately adhered to the traditional Aristotelian model. Such a view of the universe differed strongly with the beliefs of the Catholic Church at the time and Galileo was forced to withdraw many of his ideas and even spent the final years of his life under house arrest.

He was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment, later reduced to permanent house arrest at his villa in Arcetri, south of Florence. He was also forced to publicly withdraw his support for Copernican theory.

Although he was now going blind he continued to write. In , his 'Discourses Concerning Two New Sciences' was published with Galileo's ideas on the laws of motion and the principles of mechanics.

Galileo died in Arcetri on 8 January