Decorating ideas using Galileo thermometers

Do you know the Galilean thermometers? In addition to providing you with valuable temperature information in a colorful and original way, They are ideal to decorate in your home. They are beautiful, practical and will also tell you the approximate temperature (never exact) of the room, as long as it is between 18 and 26ºC.

Before telling you about the decoration ideas, first we are going to tell you how this type of thermometer works and some curiosities it has. Then, We will go on to give you some decoration ideas that you will surely love to know.

Why use a Galilean thermometer

If you have bought or want to buy a Galilean thermometer, you should first know how it works. Physicist Galilleo Galillei discovered that the density of liquid changes depending on temperature. Then he realized that he could Take advantage of this to create an instrument that could measure the temperature of the environment. This is how the Galileo thermometer was born.

It is about colored glass balls that float in a liquid and depending on the temperature they rise or fall depending on the density. As the temperature changes the spheres rise or fall indicating the approximate temperature.

Ways to decorate with the Galileo thermometer

To decorate with the Galileo thermometer it is important that once you know how it works, you think about how you can better decorate your home and at the same time enjoy using it. Once you have purchased it, do not put it anywhere, first think about how you can get more use out of it, do not miss these tips.

At the entrance

Putting this thermometer at the entrance of your home is a very good idea because as soon as you enter your home or when you leave it, you will realize that you have an instrument that is also decorative and that will provide you with the temperature that will be in the room. You can put it on a shelf where it is highly visible, on a hall with some decorative detail around it or only the thermometer as decoration that will also be a great decorative idea.

In the lounge

The living room is also an ideal place to decorate with this thermometer because it will add elegance thanks to its beautiful design. You can put it on the dining room table, on a sideboard or on a shelf. What matters is that it is in a high area because if you put it in low areas it could be in danger of falling and breaking, especially if you have children or animals. So in the area that you put it should be a place that, although the room is busy, is not in danger of falling and breaking.

The bedroom

In the bedroom it is also a good place to decorate with your Galileo thermometer because that way whenever you go to sleep or before getting out of bed, you will know the temperature in the room. What's more, Being so beautiful and decorative, it can look great on your nightstand, above the dresser or on a shelf.

Outside of your home

Another idea to decorate with the Galileo thermometer is to put it on a window sill, on your porch or in your garden. It will be very nice but you should know that if the temperature is below 18ºC or higher than 26ºC, then it will not be able to show you the approximate temperature there is. In this sense, depending on the temperature that is usually outside your home, it is better that you use it inside your home as the temperatures tend to be around these temperatures and then it could be more accurate.

Where is not a good idea

Although it is your decision to put it or not, where it would not be good to use it is in the bathroom or in the kitchen. Although it is true that it can be used and possibly it will work well for you if you have a good place to place it, as they are busy and moving rooms, there is a greater danger that the Galileo thermometer may fall and break.

In any case, if you think that somewhere in your room it might look good, then don't think about it and just put it on. Enjoy its design, of the decoration it provides in your home and of how good it makes you feel just by looking at it. It has a quite relaxing effect when you are watching and the spheres rise and fall slowly depending on the temperature in the room.

For example, if you have it located in the living room and you are hot because the temperature is higher than 26ºC and you turn on the air conditioning and lower the temperature to 23ºC, then you will see the movement of the spheres and it will relax you to do so. The same happens in reverse, if you are cold and the temperature of the room is below 18ºC, but you turn on the heating, the spheres will float as the temperature increases, it is ideal!

The best Galileo thermometers

If you want this Galileo thermometer to decorate your house, or simply to have a piece of physics history at home, We recommend these products:

cook

At a modest price you have a Galileo Galilei thermometer with the conventional shape that these thermometers usually have. The graduation is 2ºC, and the temperature range is typically 18 to 26ºC. Therefore, you will have 5 bulbs of different colors floating.

TF extension

TFA also has another typical Galileo type thermometer, but in this case they guarantee a faster measurement, since Galileo thermometers are usually slow. Furthermore, this German thermometer It is made of plastic, so it will better resist bumps and falls.

Koch 10511

With 5 multicolored balls and a typical range of 18 to 26ºC, this other Galileo thermometer can decorate your home. Includes a classic wooden side stand in which a complete Weather Station with hygrometer to measure humidity, barometer for pressure and clock.

Kikkerland

If you want to go outside the box, it's a Galileo thermometer with a few balls with metal labels graduated in Celcius and Fahrenheit. But instead of having a glass tube, they have been inserted into a crystal ball similar to typical Christmas glass balls.

Signes Grimalt

If you are more modern and you like art deco, this Galileo thermometer is your ideal product. It includes small colored balls to detect the temperature, but they are inserted inside a bulb of about 15 cm.

In this case it is a bulb hand blown borosilicate glass to turn it into a jewel or ornament that will look great anywhere in your living room or bedroom...

What is Galileo's thermometer

Galileo's thermometer It is not a conventional device. It is made up of a glass tube filled with a liquid into which several blown glass ampoules are also immersed. Each of these blisters has a different liquid inside, and with different colors.

Al change the ambient temperature, the density of the liquid inside the tube varies, while the liquid inside each vial remains more or less stable. Therefore, when the temperature increases, the density decreases, and that causes some of the blisters inside to precipitate and no longer float.

Each glass ampoule inside the tube has a metal label attached to it with a number of degrees. The blister buoyancy that is in the zone of neutral buoyancy will indicate the current temperature. But the temperature ranges that this type of thermometer can measure is quite limited.

This is how this thermometer works, which, by the way, was designed by members of the Accademia del Cimento, among whom there were Galileo's students. This measuring device was named in honor of him. In fact, he was the one who discovered the principle on which it is based: “The density of a liquid changes according to its temperature".

By the way, all the materials contained in this thermometer are harmless. They do not have the danger of the old mercury thermometers, which have been removed from the European market due to their toxicity.

How Galileo's thermometer works

To measure temperature with this type of thermometer you only have to observe the blisters inside the glass tube. You will be able observe that you can find several colored bulbs with a kind of plate with a number of degrees carved into it.

Well, with density variations caused by ambient temperature, some of the balls may be found floating, others will stay low. That is, when thermal equilibrium is reached, there will be two groups of bulbs. But to read the current temperature, you can look at the bulb that is lowest among those that have risen up. That is, the approximate temperature will be that indicated by the bulb that is lowest within the group of bulbs that have risen to the upper zone.

Is it reliable?

No, it is not reliable. That is why many people simply use it as a decoration element. Generally, the tolerance or precision can vary 2ºC above or below the current temperature. That's not very good compared to modern high-precision thermometers.

To this we must add that it has a poor temperature range, which can go from 18 to 26ºC onlyTherefore, if you are in a cold area, it is not a thermometer for you. It is suitable for areas of southern Europe or summer temperatures in some areas of northern Spain.

You should also take something else into account, and that is that the bulbs have temperatures that fluctuate. For example, you can have 18ºC, 19ºC,… 21ºC, etc. One day you may find that the 20ºC ball is the one that is located in the lowest zone of those found in the upper group, you will know that the temperature is around 20 degrees, but you will not know if it is 19.8ºC, or 20.2ºC, 20.5ºC, etc. Therefore, do not look for precision, if you want accuracy, buy another type of thermometer than those shown on this website.

Another parameter against is that if all the balls are grouped up or down, it is because the temperature has exceeded the maximum or minimum range that can read. Therefore, you will not know what temperature it is at all. You will simply know that it is more or less than those limits...

What to do if Galileo's thermometer breaks

Nothing special, just like Galinstan's. You should only pick up any fallen glass to avoid cutting yourself, and then use a mop or absorbent paper to dry up the liquid they contain. Since it is not something very dangerous or toxic like mercury, you will not be afraid of touching it without protection, or because it may come into contact with gold jewelry and generate an amalgam...