Lisbon Astronomical Observatory
Lisbon Astronomical Observatory | |
---|---|
Observatório Astronómico de Lisboa | |
Location of the observatory within the municipality of Lisbon | |
General information | |
Type | Astronomical Observatory |
Country | Portugal |
Coordinates | 38°42′37.94″N 9°11′15.02″W / 38.7105389°N 9.1875056°W |
Opened | 1812 |
Owner | Portuguese Republic |
Technical details | |
Material | Mixed masonry |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | Jean François Gille Colson |
Website | |
www |
The Lisbon Astronomical Observatory (
History
From an 1812 map, there existed in the Alto da Casa Branca in the Tapada of Ajuda an older observatory.[1]
The observatory was born from great controversy between French astronomer Hervé Faye (1814-1902), then director of the Observatory of Paris, and Peters, an
The government named a commission, presided by José Feliciano da Silva Costa (1797-1866) and driven by Filipe Folque (1800-1874), to construct a new observatory, since the Royal Military Observatory (
The plan of the building, executed by the French architect architects Jean François Gille Colson (1861-1865), José da Costa Sequeira (1800-1872) and Valentim José Correia (1822-1900) (then the most distinguished foreign architect living in Lisbon), was inspired by the building of the Russian Observatory in Pulkova.[1] Wilhelm Struve, then-director at Pulkova offered his services to the Portuguese government and became the main adviser, playing a very important role in the choice of equipment and the orientation of astronomer Frederico Augusto Oom (1830-1890), who was given a rough 5-year training session. Oom, was as a Navy Lieutenant and hydrographic engineer, who eventually became the first director of the Royal Astronomical Observatory of Lisbon and who ultimately had a very important role in the whole foundation of this building.[1]
D. Pedro V approved the installation of the astronomic observatory in the Tapada, but its construction started on 11 March 1861, during the reign of King
Between 1900 and 1901, the observatory participated in the solar parallax campaign, centered on the observations of the asteroid Eros, using a circular meridian measuring instrument to improve the value of the Astronomical unit.[1] It also contributed to production of a high-quality catalogue of reference stars; the observatory contributed with data and weight to all 3800 observations used in the catalogue. For this work, in 1904, its director César Augusto de Campos Rodrigues (1836-1919), received the Valz Prize, by the French Academy of Sciences in Paris.[1]
In 1995, the observatory was integrated into the University of Lisbon.[1] The first renovations began in the cupola of the rotational tower in 1999.[1]
From May 2004, the investigation project Fundamentação de Critérios para a Musealização do Observatório Astronómico de Lisboa, financed by FCT (POCTI/HAR/48711/2002) and under the University of Lisbon's Faculty of Sciences and UTL's Faculty of Architecture.[1]
Architecture
The Lisbon Astronomical Observatory consists of a central building in the hills of Ajuda and overlooking the
The central block of the observatory (a circular room) supports the weight of the large equatorial refractor over 8 large columns. In arches between the columns are many pendulum clock used over the century to measure the time.[1] At the foot of the large windows (with a view over the Tapada da Ajuda) are wide tables, used by astronomers to assist in their research/investigation.[1] In addition, there are spacious halls linking the central block, used for lessons, taking measurements and research, today used as workshops and support school educational activities.[1]
The three observation rooms are spacious and high, lined in wood, with open space between the wainscoting and the walls of masonry and roofing. This space communicates with the outside world through gaps that are constantly open. There are roofs of rooms in stacks of circulation, and this permanent ventilation is there in order to establish the balance of air temperature in the rooms and beyond, as it is convenient to the accuracy of observations. The wooden wainscoting providing thermal insulation, apart from being a 100% ecological product, which provides the user with a friendlier environment compared to other substitute materials. The rooms provide openings in the lateral walls and in the ceiling, through doors, thanks to an ingenious mechanism. Once the doors open once they give you an insight to the sky, according to the meridian of Lisbon, from north to south.
References
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Machado, João; Pascoal, Ana; Teixeira, Catarina, SIPA (ed.), Observatório Astronómico de Lisboa/Observatório Astronómico da Tapada da Ajuda/Observatório Astronómico D. Luís (IPA.00023178/PT031106021097) (in Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal: SIPA –Sistema de Informação para o Património Arquitectónico, archived from the original on 9 March 2016, retrieved 7 February 2016
Sources
- Madeira, José António (1962), O primeiro centenário do Observatório Astronómico de Lisboa, 1861-1961 (in Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal
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: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - AAVV, ed. (1987), Guia Urbanístico e Arquitectónico de Lisboa (in Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal
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: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Cardoso, António Muñoz (1992), Os Edifícios da Tapada da Ajuda (in Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal
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: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Schmidt, Luísa (20 November 1993), Quem Ajuda a Tapada? (in Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal: Expresso. Revista
- DREL, ed. (1 March 2001), "Observatório Astronómico de Lisboa", Monumentos (in Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal: DGEMN, p. 143
- Gomes, Mário Azevedo (1935), Notícia Sobre a Tapada da Ajuda, separata de Agros Ano XVII (in Portuguese) (Série II ed.), Lisbon, Portugal
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: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Observatorio Astronomico de Lisboa (in Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal: Arquitectura, 1 October 1974
- "Instituto Superior de Agronomia", O Século Agrícola. Portugal e Colónias, Ano I (in Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal, 17 August 1912
{{citation}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Monumentos (in Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal: DGEMN, 2002
- Monumentos (in Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal: DGEMN, 2002
- Monumentos (in Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal: DGEMN, 2002
- Monumentos (in Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal: DGEMN, 2002
- Monumentos (in Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal: DGEMN, 2002
- Monumentos (in Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal: DGEMN, 2002
- Monumentos (in Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal: DGEMN, 2002
- Monumentos (in Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal: DGEMN, 2002
- Monumentos (in Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal: DGEMN, 2002
- Monumentos (in Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal: DGEMN, 2002
- OOM, F. A., ed. (1875), Considerações acerca da organização do Real Observatório Astronómico de Lisboa (in Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal: Imprensa Nacional
- Proença, Raul (1924), Guia de Portugal (in Portuguese), vol. I, Lisbon, Portugal
{{citation}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Ramalho, Robélia de Sousa Lobo (1931), Guia de Portugal Artístico (in Portuguese), vol. I, Lisbon, Portugal
{{citation}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Queiros, F.A.F. (1973), D. Pedro V e a educação: ideário pedagógico de um rei (in Portuguese), Porto, Portugal: Faculdade de Letras, University of Porto, pp. (Appendix) 51–55, Relatório de Filipe Folque sobre o Observatório Astronómico de Lisboa
- Raposo, Pedro (2006), A Vida e a Obra do Almirante Campos Rodrigues, Dissertação de Mestrado em História e Filosofia das Ciências (in Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal: Faculdade de Ciências, University of Lisbon
- Ribeiro, J. S. (1871), O Real Observatório Astronómico de Lisboa Notícia Histórica e Descriptiva (in Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal: Typographia da Academia Real das Ciências