Which scientist is recognized for major contributions to the scientific method and observational astronomy in the 17th century?

Galileo Galilei is recognized for his pivotal contributions to both the scientific method and observational astronomy during the 17th century. His innovative approach involved systematic experimentation and detailed observation, which laid the groundwork for modern scientific inquiry. Galileo is famously known for his use of the telescope to make several groundbreaking discoveries, including the moons of Jupiter, the phases of Venus, and detailed observations of sunspots.

In contrast to Galileo, while Isaac Newton made significant advancements with his formulation of the laws of motion and universal gravitation later in the century, his contributions were not focused primarily on the observational astronomy techniques that Galileo pioneered. Johannes Kepler, known for his laws of planetary motion, utilized some of the observational data gathered by Tycho Brahe but did not emphasize the scientific method to the same extent as Galileo. Nicolaus Copernicus, who introduced the heliocentric model of the solar system, made fundamental contributions to astronomy but did so in the 16th century, preceding Galileo’s work. Thus, Galileo stands out as the key figure for both the advancement of the scientific method and the innovation of observational techniques in astronomy during the 17th century.