3
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
I. Chinnici, G. Consolmagno (eds.), Angelo Secchi and Nineteenth Century Science,
Historical & Cultural Astronomy, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58384-2_1
Chapter 1
An Introduction to Angelo Secchi and his
Collegio Romano Observatory
Aldo Altamore, Matteo Galaverni, and Christopher J. Corbally
1.1 Introduction
Places that have witnessed the development of astronomy and physics since the
scientific revolution of the seventeenth century are not only important in themselves,
like any other site of historical interest, but they also provide a vivid and effective
environment to appreciate the activities and daily life of scientists who have played
such an important role in the foundation of our modern culture. With its centuriesold history, the Roman College is one of these places.
It has a dual distinction. The Collegio Romano was the home of a number of
important figures in the history of science, such as Christopher Clavius (1538–1650),
mathematician, principal promoter of the Gregorian Calendar, and friend and advisor of Galileo; Christoph Scheiner (1573–1612), one of the founders of solar astronomy; Athanasius Kircher (1602–1680), remembered for the encyclopedic museum
known by his name, which formed the initial nucleus of numerous scientific,
A. Altamore (*)
Department of Mathematics and Physics, Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Rome, Italy
Specola Vaticana, Vatican City State, Holy See
e-mail: aldo.altamore@outlook.it
M. Galaverni
Specola Vaticana, Vatican City State, Holy See
INAF (National Institute of Astrophysics) –Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio,
Bologna, Italy
C. J. Corbally
Specola Vaticana, Vatican City State, Holy See
University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
e-mail: corbally@as.arizona.edu
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
I. Chinnici, G. Consolmagno (eds.), Angelo Secchi and Nineteenth Century Science,
Historical & Cultural Astronomy, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58384-2_1
Chapter 1
An Introduction to Angelo Secchi and his
Collegio Romano Observatory
Aldo Altamore, Matteo Galaverni, and Christopher J. Corbally
1.1 Introduction
Places that have witnessed the development of astronomy and physics since the
scientific revolution of the seventeenth century are not only important in themselves,
like any other site of historical interest, but they also provide a vivid and effective
environment to appreciate the activities and daily life of scientists who have played
such an important role in the foundation of our modern culture. With its centuriesold history, the Roman College is one of these places.
It has a dual distinction. The Collegio Romano was the home of a number of
important figures in the history of science, such as Christopher Clavius (1538–1650),
mathematician, principal promoter of the Gregorian Calendar, and friend and advisor of Galileo; Christoph Scheiner (1573–1612), one of the founders of solar astronomy; Athanasius Kircher (1602–1680), remembered for the encyclopedic museum
known by his name, which formed the initial nucleus of numerous scientific,
A. Altamore (*)
Department of Mathematics and Physics, Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Rome, Italy
Specola Vaticana, Vatican City State, Holy See
e-mail: aldo.altamore@outlook.it
M. Galaverni
Specola Vaticana, Vatican City State, Holy See
INAF (National Institute of Astrophysics) –Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio,
Bologna, Italy
C. J. Corbally
Specola Vaticana, Vatican City State, Holy See
University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
e-mail: corbally@as.arizona.edu