Christian Huygens stood at the origins of modern science. This Dutch physicist and mathematician received an excellent education, which allowed him to enter the highest intellectual circles of the 17th century at a time when state scientific organizations were emerging and the exchange of ideas was becoming increasingly intense. Huygens pioneered the mathematical study of probability, and his expertise in mechanics enabled him to construct pendulum clocks. But the scientist’s main achievements relate to the field of optics and research into the nature of light, during which Huygens’ principle was formulated, which later became the basis of the wave theory of light. The scientist also significantly improved telescopes, used them to discover Titan, the main satellite of Saturn, and discern its rings.