Wonder at the beauty of science, colorful globes rise and fall according to the temperature. Metal tags tell both Celsius & Fahrenheit.

How To Read a Galileo Thermometer

Galileo Thermometers demonstrate a uniqe method of telling the temperature that was discovered by Galileo Galilei (1564-1642). The balls inside the glass have different densities. When the temperature changes, these balls rise and fall. To read the temperature, check the group of balls near the top. The lowest ball of that group tells the temperature. If all the balls are at the bottom, it is hotter than the temperature of the top ball. If they are all at the top then it is cooler than the temperature of the bottom ball.