An astronomer who understood that the sun does not circle the Earth A man put under house arrest for his discoveries The father of modern science Like Michelangelo, Galileo is another Renaissance great known just by his first name–a name that is synonymous with scientific achievement. Born in Pisa, Italy, in the sixteenth century, Galileo contributed to the era’s great rebirth of knowledge. He invented a telescope to observe the heavens. From there, not even the sky was the limit! He turned long ...