Galileo Galilei was an Italian scientist born in 1564 in Pisa, Italy. He made significant contributions to the fields of astronomy and physics through his improvements to the telescope which allowed him to discover that Jupiter had moons and that Venus orbited the sun. However, Galileo's scientific findings that contradicted the teachings of the Catholic Church led to him being imprisoned and put under house arrest for heresy. Galileo died in 1642 at the age of 77 still under house arrest.