Galileo Galilei (1564–1642), Italian physicist, astronomer, and mathematician, is widely known as the 'Father of Modern Science.' A pioneer of experimental science, he was the first to systematically use the telescope for astronomy, discovering Jupiter's four moons, lunar craters, sunspots, and the phases of Venus—powerful evidence supporting heliocentrism.
Galileo also made groundbreaking contributions to mechanics, experimentally refuting Aristotle's theory of falling bodies and formulating the law of free fall and the principle of inertia, laying groundwork for Newtonian mechanics. He championed describing nature through mathematics, establishing the scientific method of combining experiment with mathematical analysis.
Galileo's conflict with the Roman Inquisition over heliocentrism resulted in his house arrest in 1633, but his courage became a defining symbol of the scientific revolution. The Catholic Church formally acknowledged the error of his trial in 1992.
