Galileo Galilei was a groundbreaking Italian astronomer, physicist, mathematician, philosopher and inventor. He opened the eyes of the world to a new way of thinking about how the solar system works. For many years, scientists had believed that the solar system revolved around the Earth and that the Earth was the centre of the Universe. Galileo was the first scientist to prove that this wasn’t correct. He stated that in fact, the solar system revolved around the Sun. he also invented an improved telescope so that he could gaze far into space. He was the first to see Jupiter'* moons and the first to realize that our Moon was covered with craters. Besides inventing the improved telescopes, he also invented the compass and a thermometer. Galileo has played a major role in the scientific revolution of the 17th century.
