Galileo’s 5 Biggest Accomplishments

Galileo’s 5 biggest accomplishments include things that you have probably used at some point or even more – probably use every day. This Italian scientist is behind some of the biggest discoveries that were brought on by the Renaissance. While we have no direct indication of his intellectual merit, we might as well consider him as one of the smartest people who have walked the earth. On a side note, if you’re interested in seeing some of the smartest people who are walking it right now, take a look at our list of the 11 smartest people in the world.

Back on topic now, Galileo Galilei was an Italian astronomer who also made some notable advances in physics, maths and was also an avid philosopher. He is the man behind some of the most widely quoted historical experiments and the father of certain devices which you will see below. He contributed to the then quite underdeveloped world of astronomy with many discoveries which were then considered controversial as people still believed the world was flat and the universe revolved around it. A huge supporter of heliocentrism (the scientific model which states the Earth and other planets revolve around the Sun), Galileo was ultimately considered a heretic because of his discoveries which the Catholic Church strongly protested. His breakthroughs in science lead to the “Galileo affair” – a series of events where the man himself clashed with the Catholic Church and their strong lack of desire to let anyone claim anything that does not match with the pseudo-scientific claims of the church. Ultimately, this affair led to Galilei’s arrest and him being convicted of being “gravely suspect of heresy” and punished by indefinite imprisonment. Galileo was kept under house arrest until his death for about nine years.

However, this list aims to celebrate his discoveries and the firm push he gave science to get it on its way out of the dark ages. This man has been called the father of science by one of the brightest minds of the last century – Albert Einstein. Furthermore, one of the brightest minds who continue to push us forward in this century – Stephen Hawking – has said that Galileo has probably made a bigger impact on modern science than anyone else.

5. The Thermometer

In his early career as a scientist and engineer, Galileo invented what he called a “thermoscope”. The thermoscope was a device that one could use to measure temperature, however not quite precisely because the device relied both on the temperature and pressure to make a reading. However, the thermoscope set the grounds and the idea for the thermometers we have today and use in our daily lives.

4. Jupiter’s Moons

Another part of Galileo’s legacy that gets to all of us, the four satellites of Jupiter which the astronomer observed were first intended to be named after the then ruling Medici family in order to invoke their protection and support. However, these four moons are called Galileo’s moons today as a tribute to Galilei’s contributions.

3. The Sector

Our third entry in the list of Galileo’s 5 biggest accomplishments – the Sector – is also called a military or a geometrical compass. This instrument was designed and patented by Galileo and saw extensive use not exclusive to warfare all the way until after the onset of the nineteenth century. It was put in heavy use by gunners to help them aim cannons but later on also saw use by surveyors and for navigation.

2. Work on Heliocentrism

Galileo was not the person who coined the theory that the Earth revolves around the Sun and not vice-versa. It was Copernicus who did it. However, Galilei found, studied and put together in writing some of the foundational proof for the theory which was later used to overpower the church’s claims and set the records straight.

1. The Galilean Telescope

Nothing gets quite close to the telescope Galileo devised and built. Taking the first spot on the list of Galileo’s 5 biggest accomplishments is the telescope he based on other already available models but improved to an extent that now allowed people to observe objects in the sky. He used it to make all his groundbreaking discoveries and ultimately inspire the ones we use today.