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Have you ever gazed at the night sky, marveling at its vast, wondrous, infinite beauty? Have you ever watched a “falling star” blaze across the sky and made a wish? Have you ever studied the planets in school or looked at them through a telescope? Many people take the night sky for granted; one man who did not was Galileo Galilei: a man guilty of doing all of the above. It is partially thanks to Galileo that we can be so knowledgeable about the night sky in modern times. Galileo Galilei was born in 1564, in Pisa, Italy. His parents were Vincenzo Galilei and Guilia Ammannati. Vincenzo was born in 1520 in Venice, Italy, and was known not only as a music teacher, but also as a fine player of the flute. Vincenzo studied music in Venice and conducted experiments with strings to support his musical theories. Guilia was born in Pescia and was married to Vincenzo in 1563. Vincenzo and Guilia resided in the countryside just outside of Pisa. It was in this setting that Galileo, Vincenzo’s and Guilia’s first child, was born. When Galileo was eight years old, his family moved to Venice, his father’s place of birth. Galileo remained in Pisa for two years staying with a relative of his mother’s. Two years later, at t