Angelo Secchi

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The Reverend Father

Angelo Secchi

Catholicism
AwardsLégion d'honneur, France
Scientific career
FieldsAstronomy
InstitutionsObservatory of the Roman College

Angelo Secchi

S.J. (Italian pronunciation: [ˈandʒelo ˈsekki]; 28 June 1818 – 26 February 1878) was an Italian Catholic priest, astronomer from the Italian region of Emilia.[1] He was director of the observatory at the Pontifical Gregorian University (then called the Roman College) for 28 years. He was a pioneer in astronomical spectroscopy, and was one of the first scientists to state authoritatively that the Sun is a star
.

Biography

Secchi was born in

Jesuit Order
in Rome. He continued his studies at the Roman College, and demonstrated great scientific ability. In 1839, he was appointed tutor of mathematics and
Roman Revolution, the Jesuits were ordered to leave Rome. Angelo Secchi spent the next two years in the United Kingdom at Stonyhurst College, where he met the Jesuit astronomer, Alfred Weld in charge of the Stonyhurst Observatory, who may have inspired him to take up the science. He moved on to the United States, where he taught for a time at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He also took his doctoral examination in theology there. [2]

During his stay in America, he met Commander Matthew Fontaine Maury, the first director of the United States Naval Observatory in Washington. He studied with Maury and corresponded with him for many years.[2]

He returned to Rome in 1850. On the recommendation of his late colleague Francesco de Vico, he became head of the observatory of the college at age 32. In 1853, under his direction, the crumbling observatory was relocated to a new facility on top of the

Sant'Ignazio Church (the chapel of the college).[3] Secchi served as director until his death.[4]

Secchi was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1860.[5]

His director position was challenged after 1870, when the remnant of the

Kingdom of Italy. In 1873, the college was declared property of the Italian government. When the government moved to take over the observatory as well, Secchi protested vigorously, and threatened to leave the observatory for one of several positions offered to him by foreign observatories. He was offered important scientific positions and political dignities by the government, but refused to pledge allegiance to the Kingdom in place of the Pope. The royal government did not dare to interfere with him, and he continued as director.[2]

He died in 1878 at age 59, in Rome.

Astronomical works

bust by Giuseppe Prinzi at Pincio, Rome

Secchi made contributions to many areas of astronomy.

Secchi was especially interested in the Sun, which he observed continually throughout his career.

  • He observed and made drawings of solar eruptions and sunspots, and compiled records of sunspot activity.
  • In 1860 and 1870, he organized expeditions to observe solar eclipses.
  • He proved that the
    solar corona
    and coronal prominences observed during a solar eclipse were part of the Sun, and not artifacts of the eclipse.
  • He discovered solar spicules.

However, his main area of interest was

absorption lines in the spectrum of the Sun were caused by absorption in the Earth's atmosphere
.

Starting in 1863, he began collecting the spectra of stars, accumulating some 4,000 stellar spectrograms. Through analysis of this data, he discovered that the stars come in a limited number of distinct types and subtypes, which could be distinguished by their different spectral patterns. From this concept, he developed the first system of

carbon stars
, which made one of his spectral classes.

Other scientific and technical work

Secchi was active in oceanography, meteorology, and physics, as well as astronomy.

He invented the

magnetic field
, and in 1858 established a magnetic observatory in Rome.

Secchi also performed related technical works for the Papal government, such as overseeing placement of sundials and repair or installation of municipal water systems. In 1854–1855, he supervised an exact survey of the Appian Way in Rome. This survey was later used in the topographic mapping of Italy. He supervised construction of lighthouses for the ports of the Papal States. In 1858, he traveled to France and Germany to procure the necessary projection lenses.

Heritage

Sui recenti progressi della meteorologia (1861)

The lunar crater

Secchi
are both named after him, as is a main belt asteroid, 4705 Secchi.

The two STEREO (Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory) spacecraft each carry an instrument package called SECCHI (Sun Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation).

See also

  • List of Jesuit scientists
  • List of Roman Catholic scientist-clerics

Works (incomplete)

Le Soleil: Exposé des Principales Découvertes Modernes (The Sun: Presentation of the Major Modern Discoveries). Cover.

During his career, Fr. Secchi published about 730 papers in scientific journals. He also published a number of books.

  • Misura Della Base Trigonometriea Eseguita Sulla Via Appia (Measurement of the Trigonometric Base Performed On the Via Appia). Rome. 1858.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Il Quadro Fisico del Sistema Solare Secondo le Piu Recenti Osservazioni (The Physical Framework of the Solar System According to the Most Recent Observations). Rome. 1859.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Secchi, Angelo (1861). Sui recenti progressi della meteorologia. Roma: Tipografia delle Belle Arti.
  • Sulla Unitá delle Forze Fisiche (On the Unity of Physical Forces). Rome. 1864.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Unità delle forze fisiche (in Italian). Roma: Tipografia Forense. 1864.
  • Le Soleil: Exposé des Principales Découvertes Modernes (The Sun: Presentation of the Major Modern Discoveries). Paris. 1870.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Secchi, Angelo (1871). Rapporto della commissione per la misura del meridiano centrale europeo negli Stati Pontifici. Roma: Tip. delle scienze matematiche e fisiche.
  • Stelle (in Italian). Milano: Dumolard. 1877.
  • Lezioni elementari di fisica terrestre (in Italian). Torino: Loescher. 1879.

References

  1. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith also states 28 June as his birthday in a biographical article in La Civiltà Cattolica
    .
  2. ^ a b c Pohle 1912.
  3. ^ Chisholm 1911.
  4. ^ Voelkel, James R. (2016). "Saw the Light: The early days of spectroscopy". Distillations. 2 (1): 24–25.
  5. ^ "APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  6. ISBN 0-521-63280-3
    .
  7. doi:10.1002/asna.18670680405
    .
Attribution

Sources

  • Maffeo, Fr. Sabino, SJ (1991). In the Service of Nine Popes: 100 Years of the Vatican Observatory. trans. Fr. George Coyne, SJ. Città del Vaticano (Vatican City): Specola Vaticana.
    ISBN 88-7761-046-8.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
    )
  • Chinnici, Ileana (2019). Decoding the Stars: A Biography of Angelo Secchi, Jesuit and Scientist. Leiden/Boston: Brill.
    ISBN 9789004387331
    .

External links
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