The Italian mathematician, astronomer, and physicist named Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) discovered many different concepts that have shaped the way we look at the never-ending skies to this day. Galileo was able to find that the speed that bodies fall is not affected by their weight. Throughout his years, he completed a vast amount of experiments pertaining to pendulums, discovering that they almost returned to the height at which they were released, although he settled that different pendulums did possess varying periods that were independent of the weight of their bob or amplitude. The length of the pendulum also depended on the square of the period. This was not all that Galileo Galilei was associated with.
After learning about the newly invented telescope, he became the first individual to use a telescope to peer into the skies (which took place in 1609). Using this powerful instrument, he was able to discover the rings of Saturn (in 1610). He was also the first to spot the four moons of Jupiter, which also took place 1610. Galileo Galilei also witnessed the phases of Venus, observed sunspots, and was responsible for discovering other significant astronomical elements.
Galileo had write-ups regarding his numerous discoveries published, which shared with the rest of the world many new and exciting things that the telescope brought to life. This would also include the motion of the Earth about the Sun (which is often referred to as the Copernican system). Galileo Galilei was also an inventor and in 1593, he created the first thermometer, which used glass bulbs filled with water. When the temperature changed, the water moved up and down the bulb.
The historic efforts associated with Galileo are seen through the many accomplishments attached to his name, including theories, airports, and learning institutions. Below you will find a list of some of the things attributed to this great man of the times:
1) Galileo (unit of acceleration): The Galileo (also known as Gal) is a unit of acceleration, which is defined as 1 centimeter per second squared.
2) Galileo Positioning System: As a response to the popular Global Positioning System (GPS) of the United States, the European Union (EU) is planning on constructing the Global Navigation Satellite System, which will be called Galileo.
3) Airport: In Pisa, Italy, there is an airport named Galileo Galilei Airport.
4) Jupiter: Jupiter is known to possess the Galilean moons, while the Galileo mission involved an unmanned spacecraft of the same name, which was sent by NASA in an effort to study Jupiter and its moons. The spacecraft was launched on October 18th, 1989 by the space shuttle, Atlantis, and finally arrived at Jupiter on December 7th, 1995 , a little more than six years later.
5) Stadium: In Miami, Florida, there is a stadium named the Galileo Stadium.
6) High School: In San Francisco, California, visitors may locate the Galileo High School.
7) Craters: On the Moon and Mars, there are craters that are named the Galilari crater.