People in STEAM:
Galileo Galilei

Learn about individuals and their contributions to the fields of science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics.

Monday, August 31

This activity is for ages 9 and up, but anyone can join.

Galileo Galilei (1564 - 1642) was an Italian astronomer, physicist, mathematician, inventor, and philosopher. He was born in the city of Pisa, and later studied medicine and mathematics at the University of Pisa. He improved the simple telescope, which he used to observe the night sky. Based on his observations of our solar system's planets and moons, he realized that they revolved around the sun. This idea went against the Catholic Church's belief at the time that Earth was the center of the universe, and Galileo was tried by the Church for heresy. He spent the last years of his life under house arrest. Over time, however, Galileo, and other astronomers before him, have been proven correct that the sun is the center of our solar system, where the planets revolve around the sun, and the moons revolve around the planets.

Photo Credit: Portrait of Galileo Galilei by Justus Sustermans, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Justus_Sustermans_-_Portrait_of_Galileo_Galilei,_1636.jpg

Check out these videos to learn more about Galileo's life and work.

• Science Box - Galileo and His Big Ida: https://youtu.be/REUdlA44vuY
• Bedtime History - Galileo Galilei: https://youtu.be/3UyV6yg9hqM

Sources:

• https://kids.britannica.com/kids/article/Galileo/351402
• https://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/scientists/galileogalilei.html
• https://www.history.com/topics/inventions/galileo-galilei
• https://www.biography.com/scholar/galileo