Galileo Galilei was an Italian astronomer, physicist, and philosopher born in 1564 in Pisa, Italy. He helped develop the scientific method and made several important discoveries using experimentation and his telescope. His discoveries included the four largest moons of Jupiter, sunspots, and that the moon has mountains. Galileo faced controversy from the Catholic Church for his support of Copernicus' heliocentric model of the solar system. He was eventually placed under house arrest for the remainder of his life due to his scientific views conflicting with the Church's doctrine. Galileo made important contributions to the fields of physics, astronomy and the scientific revolution.