Galileo Galilei celebrated by Italia Post

Italia Post marks the 450th anniversary of the birth of 'father of science' Galileo Galilei with a new stamp. The 0.70 Euro stamp has a print of a statue of Galilei which stands at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence and was sculpted by Aristodemo Costoli.

Born in 1564, Galileo Galilei was an astronomer, philosopher, mathematician and physicist whose theories were often far ahead of their time and brought him into conflict with the Catholic Church of the day. He was one of the pioneers of the use of the telescope in astronomy and discovered the satellites of Jupiter.

After the Roman Inquisition of 1615, he was placed under house arrest for championing the theory of heliocentrism (the theory that planets revolve around the sun).

For all the latest stamp and coin news and new issues, see each issue of Stamp & Coin Mart magazine.