Which scientist faced opposition and was tried by the Inquisition for supporting heliocentrism?

• A. Copernicus
• B. Johannes Kepler
• C. Isaac Newton
• D. Galileo Galilei

Answer: (D)

This question centers on the clash between scientific ideas and religious authority in early modern Europe, as shown by Galileo’s confrontation with the Inquisition over heliocentrism. Galileo argued that the Sun, not the Earth, is at the center of the solar system, building on Copernicus’s model and supporting it with telescope observations like the phases of Venus and the moons of Jupiter. These findings challenged the long-standing geocentric view endorsed by the Church. After warnings in 1616 against teaching heliocentrism, Galileo published a Dialogue in 1632 that argued for the Copernican system, which led to his trial by the Roman Inquisition in 1633. He was forced to recant and spent the rest of his life under house arrest. This case is a famous example of how scientific theories met institutional resistance, even though others like Copernicus and Kepler advocated the same idea without facing the same sanction, and Newton came later, after the era of the Inquisition.