291
17.8 Other Proposals
Tacchini’s death and Levi’s senatorial commitments in Rome were good pretexts to
call a halt to the project that once had seemed well advanced. The second Report (in
1910, 30 years after the Manifesto of the first proposal and 5 years after Tacchini’s
death) summarized some of those “constraints” that had slowed down “the simple
idea (Tacchini’s) for whose execution the means would perhaps have been adequate” – i.e., a telescope and a dome paid with the funds raised and the staff provided by the Government (Relazione (2
a
) 1910).
According to the historical revaluation index, the value of the lira had remained
almost unchanged (about 0.96) from 1879 (the year of Tacchini’s estimate of 60,000
lire) to 1910 (date of the second Report); therefore, the collected amount of 130,000
lire should have been sufficient for purchasing the telescope and erecting a large
part of the building (see Table 17.1). However, in addition to the 1903 idea of “an
observatory for meteorology and terrestrial physics” proposed by Millosevich and
Schiaparelli, someone suggested allocating part of the funds to create awards for
outstanding scientific papers, while others proposed to use it to reprint Secchi’s works.
And then in April 1907 “a proposal popped up” that seemed certain to succeed.
Carlo Bonacini (1867–1944), newly appointed director of Modena Planetarium and
professor of terrestrial physics at Modena University, presented extensive documentation for “establishing an Institute of Cosmic Physics dedicated to Secchi, and an
observatory for astrophysical and geodetic observations with the contribution of the
Royal University of Modena,” both connected to the already existing Geophysical
Observatory.
31
However, the uncertain behavior of the Committee postponed every
decision until it was transformed into a nonprofit organization in October 1909.
Meanwhile, Antonio Abetti (1846–1928), director of Arcetri Observatory,
showed his interest in the Modena proposal. Together with his son Giorgio
(1882–1982), he suggested replacing the large refractor proposed by Tacchini with
a more modern solar tower, similar to one under construction in the United States
(Relazione (2
a
) 1910: 20–21). In this regard, it is interesting to report a passage of a
letter written in 1909 to Antonio Abetti by George Ellery Hale (1868–1938),
32
one
of the leading astrophysicists of the time, the designer of solar towers, founder and
director of Mount Wilson Observatory, and later promoter of the large 200-inch
telescope on Mount Palomar:
Probably he (Giorgio Abetti, then a guest at Hale’s institute) has written to you regarding
our discussions on the question of a tower telescope (that Giorgio was planning to build in
Italy). I have been in correspondence with Professor Riccò on this subject, and hope to talk
31 Minutes of the Committee No. 19 of Apr 2, 1907 (ASRe-MS), and the annexed
correspondence.
32 G.E. Hale to A. Abetti, Pasadena, Mount Wilson Solar Observatory Mar 19, 1909 (AAFi,
FA.1.1.92.(L)).
17 The Unfulfilled “Secchi Monument” at Reggio Emilia
17.8 Other Proposals
Tacchini’s death and Levi’s senatorial commitments in Rome were good pretexts to
call a halt to the project that once had seemed well advanced. The second Report (in
1910, 30 years after the Manifesto of the first proposal and 5 years after Tacchini’s
death) summarized some of those “constraints” that had slowed down “the simple
idea (Tacchini’s) for whose execution the means would perhaps have been adequate” – i.e., a telescope and a dome paid with the funds raised and the staff provided by the Government (Relazione (2
a
) 1910).
According to the historical revaluation index, the value of the lira had remained
almost unchanged (about 0.96) from 1879 (the year of Tacchini’s estimate of 60,000
lire) to 1910 (date of the second Report); therefore, the collected amount of 130,000
lire should have been sufficient for purchasing the telescope and erecting a large
part of the building (see Table 17.1). However, in addition to the 1903 idea of “an
observatory for meteorology and terrestrial physics” proposed by Millosevich and
Schiaparelli, someone suggested allocating part of the funds to create awards for
outstanding scientific papers, while others proposed to use it to reprint Secchi’s works.
And then in April 1907 “a proposal popped up” that seemed certain to succeed.
Carlo Bonacini (1867–1944), newly appointed director of Modena Planetarium and
professor of terrestrial physics at Modena University, presented extensive documentation for “establishing an Institute of Cosmic Physics dedicated to Secchi, and an
observatory for astrophysical and geodetic observations with the contribution of the
Royal University of Modena,” both connected to the already existing Geophysical
Observatory.
31
However, the uncertain behavior of the Committee postponed every
decision until it was transformed into a nonprofit organization in October 1909.
Meanwhile, Antonio Abetti (1846–1928), director of Arcetri Observatory,
showed his interest in the Modena proposal. Together with his son Giorgio
(1882–1982), he suggested replacing the large refractor proposed by Tacchini with
a more modern solar tower, similar to one under construction in the United States
(Relazione (2
a
) 1910: 20–21). In this regard, it is interesting to report a passage of a
letter written in 1909 to Antonio Abetti by George Ellery Hale (1868–1938),
32
one
of the leading astrophysicists of the time, the designer of solar towers, founder and
director of Mount Wilson Observatory, and later promoter of the large 200-inch
telescope on Mount Palomar:
Probably he (Giorgio Abetti, then a guest at Hale’s institute) has written to you regarding
our discussions on the question of a tower telescope (that Giorgio was planning to build in
Italy). I have been in correspondence with Professor Riccò on this subject, and hope to talk
31 Minutes of the Committee No. 19 of Apr 2, 1907 (ASRe-MS), and the annexed
correspondence.
32 G.E. Hale to A. Abetti, Pasadena, Mount Wilson Solar Observatory Mar 19, 1909 (AAFi,
FA.1.1.92.(L)).
17 The Unfulfilled “Secchi Monument” at Reggio Emilia