Galileo Turns a Telescope to the Sky（17th-century copperplate engraving）

417 years agoThe Scientific Revolution

1610-03-13

Galileo Turns a Telescope to the Sky

Sidereus Nuncius was published, recording mountains on the Moon and the moons of Jupiter.

Enter the observatory

Art style · 17th-century copperplate engraving

World population

524Mpeople

Primary energy power

2.2×10¹¹W

London → New York message

—

Data from 1620

Civilization metrics

Each sparkline shows the documented history of a metric on a logarithmic time axis. The dot marks the selected moment.

Kardashev index

0.535

Based on primary energy power · Type I = 1

World population

524Mpeople

1/16 of today

Total human primary energy power

2.2×10¹¹W

1/90 of today

Compute per dollar

—

No reliable data yet · data begins 1945

Fastest delivery time for a message from London to New York

—

No reliable data yet · data begins 1620

Fastest speed reached by humans

63km/h

1/631 of today

Near this moment

The eight closest milestones. Select a title to jump there.

1440Culture
Around 1440, Gutenberg invented the printing press, and books began to be reproduced at scale. Source
1492-10-12Humanity
A transatlantic route opened, beginning sustained contact between the Old World and the New. Source
1522-09-06Humanity
The remnants of Magellan's fleet, led by Elcano, returned to Spain, completing the first voyage around the world. Source
1543Humanity
Copernicus published On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres, placing the Sun rather than Earth at the center. Source
1610-03-13Humanity
Sidereus Nuncius was published, recording mountains on the Moon and the moons of Jupiter. Source
1687-07-05Humanity
Newton set out the laws of motion and universal gravitation, describing heaven and Earth with the same mathematics. Source
1709Energy
Abraham Darby smelted iron in a coke-fired blast furnace, and coal began to replace charcoal. Source
1712Energy
The first practical steam engine, used to pump water from mines. Source

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Scenes across eras

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The Scientific Revolution

3 scenes · Select a scene to visit that moment

Heliocentrism, the telescope and Newtonian mechanics establish the method of experiment plus mathematics, and nature becomes predictable.

Playable workshops

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Every timeline entry cites its source. Metrics interpolate logarithmically between sourced data points. Forecasts include institutional and community views, and attributed site scenarios; years are not guaranteed realization dates. Illustrations are AI-generated in each era's style.

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