Barnaba Oriani
Barnaba Oriani | |
---|---|
Born | Garegnano, Milan, Duchy of Milan | 17 July 1752
Died | 12 November 1832 Milan, Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia | (aged 80)
Nationality | Italian |
Occupations |
|
Known for | detailed research of the planet Uranus |
Parent(s) | Giorgio Oriani and Margherita Oriani (née Galli) |
Scientific career | |
Fields | astronomy |
Institutions | Brera Astronomical Observatory |
Barnaba Oriani
Life
Oriani was born in Garegnano (now part of Milan), the son of a mason,[1] and died in Milan.[2]
After getting his elementary education in Garegnano, he went on to study at the College of San Alessandro in Milan, under the tutelage and with the support of the
When
When the republic became a Napoleonic kingdom, Oriani was awarded the
Oriani was a devoted friend of the
Astronomy
Given his strong interest in astronomy, Oriani was appointed on the staff of the
A very capable astronomer, Oriani's work began to attract considerable attention.[2] His research in the areas of astronomic refraction, the obliquity of the ecliptic, and orbital theory were of considerable noteworthiness in themselves; but his greatest achievement was his detailed research of the planet Uranus, which had been discovered by Sir William Herschel in 1781. Oriani devoted significant time to observations of Uranus, calculating its orbital properties which he published as a booklet of tables in 1793.[5]
After others had shown that Uranus was not on a parabolic orbit but rather in a roughly circular orbit, he calculated the orbit in 1783. In 1789, Oriani improved his calculations by accounting for the gravitational effects of Jupiter and Saturn.[3]
In addition to his continual contributions to the Effemeridi, he published a series of memoirs on spherical trigonometry: the Memorie dell' Istituto Italiano, 1806–10, and the Istruzione suelle misure e sui pesi, 1831.[2]
For his work in astronomy, Oriani was honoured by naming
Oriani's theorem
In De refractionibus astronomicis,
The series expansion he obtained was effective at up to 85 degrees from the zenith. Unlike previous approximations, however, Oriani's two-term expression did not depend on a hypothesis regarding atmospheric temperature or air density in relation to altitude. Thus, the effects of atmospheric curvature are only dependent upon the temperature and pressure at the location of the observer.
Oriani's theorem explains why Cassini's uniform-density model works well except near the horizon—the atmospheric refraction from the zenith to a zenith distance of 70° is not dependent on the details of the distribution of the gas.[7]
See also
- List of Roman Catholic scientist-clerics
References
- ^ "Chi era Costui - Scheda di Barnaba Oriani". Retrieved 6 May 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Herbermann 1913.
- ^ a b c Students for the Exploration and Development of Space
- ^ Aist, Rodney (2012-06-15). "St Barnabas of Milan". Medieval Milanetc. Retrieved 2020-05-05.
- ^ Alexandro Malaspina Research Centre Archived November 9, 2002, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Ephemerides astronomicae anni 1788: Appendix ad ephemerides Anni 1788 (Appresso Giuseppe Galeazzi, Milano, 1787), pp. 164–277.
- ^ Young, Andrew T (2009). "Wegener's principle". Retrieved 6 May 2021.
External links
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Barnaba Oriani". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
- Barnaba Oriani entry (in Italian) by Emilio Bianchi in the Enciclopedia italiana, 1935
- Tucci, Pasquale (2013). "ORIANI, Barnaba". ISBN 978-8-81200032-6.