Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), Italian astronomer and physicist. This engraving of a bust of Galileo is from a book published by a pupil and biographer of Galileo. The inscription at left describes him as Galilaeus Lynceus, indicating that Galileo was a member of the Lyncean Academy (founded 1603). Galileo considered this a particular honour, and signed himself Galileo Gallilei Linceo after he became a member in 1609. Galileo is most famous for his 1610 use of his telescope to discover the four largest moons of Jupiter, and for supporting the heliocentric Copernican theory. Engraving from De Locis Solidis Secunda Divinatio Geometrica (1701), by Vincenzo Viviani.