305
© 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_18
Chapter 18
The Ups and Downs (and Ups Again!)
of Astrophysics in Italy After Secchi
Simone Bianchi
18.1 Introduction
The Italian astronomical community has always been aware of the role of Secchi
and other national pioneers in the birth and development of astrophysics. This is
evident, for example, in a 1939 review of the achievements of Italian astronomers in
the previous 100 years, written by the director of Rome Astronomical Observatory,
Giuseppe Armellini (1887–1958). At a time when astronomical spectroscopy had
become a minor topic in Italy, striving to regain its importance over decades in
which most Italian astronomers had been devoted to classical astronomy and geodesy, Armellini (a classical astronomer himself, with interests in theoretical astrophysics; Masani 1998) could not but stress the Italian contribution to solar and
stellar spectroscopy:
Italian science … left a truly magnificent trail in solar astronomy with the illustrious names
of Secchi, Respighi and Riccò … the start [of daily monitoring of solar prominences] has
to be credited exclusively to Italian astronomy … [Concerning stellar astrophysics] we can
say, with full historical fairness, that our astronomy has the great pride of having been really
at the forefront of this problem, and of having indeed laid the foundations of this chapter of
the science of the heavens. In fact, Italy has the merit of having: (1) founded stellar spectroscopy, with Donati; (2) established the spectral types of the stars, with Secchi; (3) inaugurated the use of the best-suited instrument for stellar spectroscopy observations (the
objective prism), with Respighi. … It would be useless to add further considerations, since
the facts are obvious. In the 1860s, Italian scientists created stellar spectroscopy […]
(Armellini 1939: 469,480,484; original Italian, author’s translation).
Looking past the bombastic style, typical of texts written during the Italian fascist
regime, one can feel in Armellini’s words the urge to establish once again a foothold
S. Bianchi (*)
INAF – Osservatorio Astronomico di Arcetri, Florence, Italy
e-mail: simone.bianchi@inaf.it
© 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_18
Chapter 18
The Ups and Downs (and Ups Again!)
of Astrophysics in Italy After Secchi
Simone Bianchi
18.1 Introduction
The Italian astronomical community has always been aware of the role of Secchi
and other national pioneers in the birth and development of astrophysics. This is
evident, for example, in a 1939 review of the achievements of Italian astronomers in
the previous 100 years, written by the director of Rome Astronomical Observatory,
Giuseppe Armellini (1887–1958). At a time when astronomical spectroscopy had
become a minor topic in Italy, striving to regain its importance over decades in
which most Italian astronomers had been devoted to classical astronomy and geodesy, Armellini (a classical astronomer himself, with interests in theoretical astrophysics; Masani 1998) could not but stress the Italian contribution to solar and
stellar spectroscopy:
Italian science … left a truly magnificent trail in solar astronomy with the illustrious names
of Secchi, Respighi and Riccò … the start [of daily monitoring of solar prominences] has
to be credited exclusively to Italian astronomy … [Concerning stellar astrophysics] we can
say, with full historical fairness, that our astronomy has the great pride of having been really
at the forefront of this problem, and of having indeed laid the foundations of this chapter of
the science of the heavens. In fact, Italy has the merit of having: (1) founded stellar spectroscopy, with Donati; (2) established the spectral types of the stars, with Secchi; (3) inaugurated the use of the best-suited instrument for stellar spectroscopy observations (the
objective prism), with Respighi. … It would be useless to add further considerations, since
the facts are obvious. In the 1860s, Italian scientists created stellar spectroscopy […]
(Armellini 1939: 469,480,484; original Italian, author’s translation).
Looking past the bombastic style, typical of texts written during the Italian fascist
regime, one can feel in Armellini’s words the urge to establish once again a foothold
S. Bianchi (*)
INAF – Osservatorio Astronomico di Arcetri, Florence, Italy
e-mail: simone.bianchi@inaf.it