94
astrophysicist Samuel Pierpont Langley and dozens of other spectroscopists all
were interested in many different visual fields at once. Most of these scientists were
accomplished draftsmen from the outset. Secchi also became famous not only for
his work in spectroscopy but also for his heavily illustrated, extraordinarily beautiful textbooks on the Sun and the stars with fine drawings of solar prominences and
sunspots, executed by his Jesuit assistants, especially Fr. Cappelletti and Fr. Ferrari.
His marvelous records of astronomical spectra and of other solar phenomena
such as prominences (Figs. 5.9 and 5.10), spicules, and sunspots profited from his
trained eye and the subtle mastery of the pen and brush of his Jesuit assistants and
of his colleague Tacchini.
17
17 According to Ileana Chinnici (in an email to the author, dated Sept 10, 2018), “Secchi was an
excellent observer but just a passable draughtsman: I think that his assistants helped him very
much in this work […]. In a letter to Tacchini (July 14, 1874) Secchi clearly states that he could
passably draw but was unable to reproduce the drawings in copies for printing. Indeed, his archival
documents are very poor in drawings, as well as his letters: only a small percentage of manuscripts
shows any drawings, and these drawings are usually not accurate in details, but just qualitative
sketches. Many of the pictures he published come from other publications. […] The second edition
of Le Soleil, for example, is illustrated with many pictures by Tacchini who, on the contrary, was
an excellent draughtsman and perfect scientific partner for him: Tacchini used a similar Merz telescope and was able to reproduce his observations in wonderful drawings.”
Fig. 5.8 A sample from Secchi’s high-resolution chromolithographic plates showing the solar
prominences in their full beauty and intricate detail. From Secchi 1872: color pl. IX, fig. 4
K. Hentschel
astrophysicist Samuel Pierpont Langley and dozens of other spectroscopists all
were interested in many different visual fields at once. Most of these scientists were
accomplished draftsmen from the outset. Secchi also became famous not only for
his work in spectroscopy but also for his heavily illustrated, extraordinarily beautiful textbooks on the Sun and the stars with fine drawings of solar prominences and
sunspots, executed by his Jesuit assistants, especially Fr. Cappelletti and Fr. Ferrari.
His marvelous records of astronomical spectra and of other solar phenomena
such as prominences (Figs. 5.9 and 5.10), spicules, and sunspots profited from his
trained eye and the subtle mastery of the pen and brush of his Jesuit assistants and
of his colleague Tacchini.
17
17 According to Ileana Chinnici (in an email to the author, dated Sept 10, 2018), “Secchi was an
excellent observer but just a passable draughtsman: I think that his assistants helped him very
much in this work […]. In a letter to Tacchini (July 14, 1874) Secchi clearly states that he could
passably draw but was unable to reproduce the drawings in copies for printing. Indeed, his archival
documents are very poor in drawings, as well as his letters: only a small percentage of manuscripts
shows any drawings, and these drawings are usually not accurate in details, but just qualitative
sketches. Many of the pictures he published come from other publications. […] The second edition
of Le Soleil, for example, is illustrated with many pictures by Tacchini who, on the contrary, was
an excellent draughtsman and perfect scientific partner for him: Tacchini used a similar Merz telescope and was able to reproduce his observations in wonderful drawings.”
Fig. 5.8 A sample from Secchi’s high-resolution chromolithographic plates showing the solar
prominences in their full beauty and intricate detail. From Secchi 1872: color pl. IX, fig. 4
K. Hentschel