Eppur si muove
When senses fail us, reason must step in... Galilei
Galileo Galilei (1564 - 1642, from Pisa) was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer.
He has been called the "father of observational astronomy", the "father of modern physics", the "father of the scientific method" and the "father of modern science".
Galileo invented an early type of thermometer and made improvements to the telescope that enabled him to do astronomical observations.
In 1610 he discovered the four biggest moons of Jupiter (now called the Galilean moons) and the rings of Saturn.
He claimed that Earth orbits the Sun and, in doing so, he went against everything which was believed at that time and strongly supported by the Church.
For this, Galileo was sentenced for heresy to life imprisonment , to be served under house arrest, by the Roman Catholic Church in 1633.
During his trial he was forced to sconfess what he had been claiming but, on the way out from his trial's court, he is said to have quietly uttered ...'and yet it moves'... (...'Eppur si muove'...)
Galileo influenced scientists for using a scientif approach to his researches and for his willingness to stand up to the church to defend his findings.
His improvements to the telescope led to advances in the field of astronomy.