313
18.6 The Resurgence of Astrophysics at Arcetri
New hope for the development of astrophysics in Italy arose when an Institute of
Physics was proposed, to be built on Arcetri hill near the Observatory (Foderà Serio
2005). But the project had to be postponed because of the onset of the First World
War. At least the war offered Abetti an opportunity to strengthen his links with the
US astrophysical community and Hale: a lieutenant of the Italian Army, he was sent
as a military attaché to the Italian Embassy in Washington. At that time, he met with
astrophysicists in Chicago and went again to California (Gasperini et al. 2004).
Finally, a decision was made to build a solar tower in Arcetri. In 1919, the Faculty
of Science of the Istituto di Studi Superiori (later University) of Florence suggested
the transfer of Abetti to Arcetri, because “his studies and the experience acquired
with Hale at Mount Wilson and Pasadena ensured that he could give valuable help
to [his father] the Director of Arcetri Observatory for installing and using the tower
telescope (a.t.)” (Fracastoro 1983: 89). Abetti moved to Arcetri in 1920 and, at the
retirement of his father Antonio in 1921, was charged with the direction of the
Observatory (later confirmed, in 1925). This new direction was ratified in 1921
when Arcetri became an Astrophysical Observatory.
The work on the tower (Fig. 18.3) proceeded slowly. This was in part due to the
fact that Abetti completely relied on the technical advice of the far-distant Hale,
who practically directed the construction by letter from California (Gasperini et al.
2004). In the meanwhile, the Observatory was being equipped with other instruments for astrophysical observations. A 30-cm reflector with a set of objective
prisms was installed in 1921, allowing Abetti to continue his studies in stellar spectroscopy, which he had started at Collegio Romano Observatory with the same
instrumentation used by Secchi. Also a direct vision prism began to be used to
monitor solar prominences jointly with the Amici refractor, the main telescope of
the Observatory (Fracastoro 1983). A year later, at the first meeting of the
International Astronomical Union in Rome, Arcetri Observatory was selected to be
the collection center for solar observations obtained from other observatories in the
world, replacing Catania Observatory in this task. At the second IAU meeting in
Cambridge in 1925, it was decided that Arcetri Observatory should publish the
drawings of solar limbs “as it was done in the past in the Memorie degli
Spettroscopisti” (Abetti 1926). Definitely, the Spettroscopisti’s baton had been
passed on!
The building of the solar tower at Arcetri largely benefited from private patronage, one of the reasons for the growth of astrophysics in the USA. The major contribution to the budget came from William Ellery Hale Foundation, administering
the funds left by George’s father. The second contribution was from the industrialist
James William Ellsworth (1849–1925), an eccentric American living in Florence,
who was interested in Galileo and his instruments preserved in Florence. In May
1923 (Fig. 18.4), Abetti arranged to have Galileo’s spyglasses attached to the Amici
telescope so that Ellsworth, Hale, and his friend Egyptologist James Henry Breasted
(1865–1935) could use them to observe the sky. The further gift of an old watch
18 The Ups and Downs (and Ups Again!) of Astrophysics in Italy After Secchi
18.6 The Resurgence of Astrophysics at Arcetri
New hope for the development of astrophysics in Italy arose when an Institute of
Physics was proposed, to be built on Arcetri hill near the Observatory (Foderà Serio
2005). But the project had to be postponed because of the onset of the First World
War. At least the war offered Abetti an opportunity to strengthen his links with the
US astrophysical community and Hale: a lieutenant of the Italian Army, he was sent
as a military attaché to the Italian Embassy in Washington. At that time, he met with
astrophysicists in Chicago and went again to California (Gasperini et al. 2004).
Finally, a decision was made to build a solar tower in Arcetri. In 1919, the Faculty
of Science of the Istituto di Studi Superiori (later University) of Florence suggested
the transfer of Abetti to Arcetri, because “his studies and the experience acquired
with Hale at Mount Wilson and Pasadena ensured that he could give valuable help
to [his father] the Director of Arcetri Observatory for installing and using the tower
telescope (a.t.)” (Fracastoro 1983: 89). Abetti moved to Arcetri in 1920 and, at the
retirement of his father Antonio in 1921, was charged with the direction of the
Observatory (later confirmed, in 1925). This new direction was ratified in 1921
when Arcetri became an Astrophysical Observatory.
The work on the tower (Fig. 18.3) proceeded slowly. This was in part due to the
fact that Abetti completely relied on the technical advice of the far-distant Hale,
who practically directed the construction by letter from California (Gasperini et al.
2004). In the meanwhile, the Observatory was being equipped with other instruments for astrophysical observations. A 30-cm reflector with a set of objective
prisms was installed in 1921, allowing Abetti to continue his studies in stellar spectroscopy, which he had started at Collegio Romano Observatory with the same
instrumentation used by Secchi. Also a direct vision prism began to be used to
monitor solar prominences jointly with the Amici refractor, the main telescope of
the Observatory (Fracastoro 1983). A year later, at the first meeting of the
International Astronomical Union in Rome, Arcetri Observatory was selected to be
the collection center for solar observations obtained from other observatories in the
world, replacing Catania Observatory in this task. At the second IAU meeting in
Cambridge in 1925, it was decided that Arcetri Observatory should publish the
drawings of solar limbs “as it was done in the past in the Memorie degli
Spettroscopisti” (Abetti 1926). Definitely, the Spettroscopisti’s baton had been
passed on!
The building of the solar tower at Arcetri largely benefited from private patronage, one of the reasons for the growth of astrophysics in the USA. The major contribution to the budget came from William Ellery Hale Foundation, administering
the funds left by George’s father. The second contribution was from the industrialist
James William Ellsworth (1849–1925), an eccentric American living in Florence,
who was interested in Galileo and his instruments preserved in Florence. In May
1923 (Fig. 18.4), Abetti arranged to have Galileo’s spyglasses attached to the Amici
telescope so that Ellsworth, Hale, and his friend Egyptologist James Henry Breasted
(1865–1935) could use them to observe the sky. The further gift of an old watch
18 The Ups and Downs (and Ups Again!) of Astrophysics in Italy After Secchi