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18.8 Italian Astrophysics After WWII
An astronomical conference was held at Merate in September 1946 to reorganize
Italian astronomy after the Second World War. That meeting, organized by Gratton
in collaboration with the Società Astronomica Italiana, is generally considered the
turning point of Italian astrophysics (Rosino 1986; Masani 1998). During the program, the hope arose of a change of attitude among Italian astronomers who up to
then had not cared much to promote within the scientific faculties of universities,
“the new currents of modern astrophysics, that nevertheless has among its pioneers
Donati and Secchi (a.t.)” (Castellani 2005).
Soon after the meeting, the Italian National Research Council (CNR) agreed to
finance the development of astrophysical research. In 1947 a center for solar physics
was established at Arcetri and a joint one on stellar physics was set up at Merate and
Asiago (an annex of Padua Observatory inaugurated in 1942). In 1951 they were
merged into a single center for astrophysics. The choice of these three Observatories
was dictated by the presence of skilled personnel and modern instrumentation
(Masani 1998). Asiago Observatory was equipped with a 122-cm reflector, completed around 1950 with the arrival of a new spectroscope. A program on stellar
spectroscopy was soon started by Righini. From 1953 the directorship of Asiago
(and later of the joint Padua/Asiago sites) passed to Rosino, who extended the
expertise of its astronomers to galactic and extragalactic astrophysics (Rosino
1986). Towards the end of the 1950s, other observatories started to benefit from the
CNR support (Masani 1998).
At the turn of the decade, Italian astrophysics expanded to include developments
in radio astronomy and X- and γ-ray astronomy. At Arcetri, transformed by Righini
into a purely solar observatory, the Sun was studied in the radio domain with dedicated radio telescopes, and in X-rays using data from the series of Solrad satellites
(Fig. 18.5).
Other observatories tied to optical astronomy were not so interested in these new
developments. Instead, the greatest interest came from physicists at Italian universities. In Bologna, Giampietro Puppi (1917–2006) promoted the development of
radio astronomy, leading to the inauguration of the “Northern Cross” radio telescope of Medicina in 1964. Research in high-energy astronomy sprung up in several
Institutes of Physics, including that of Milan University led by Giuseppe Occhialini
(1907–1993). Cosmic-ray studies were also pursued, revitalizing a sector that had
greatly suffered after the departure of Bruno Rossi (1905–1993), forced to leave
Italy by the fascist racial laws.
A new generation of astrophysicists emerged around Gratton. In 1962 he had
returned to Italy to become a professor at Rome University, and he created the CNR
Center for Astrophysics at Frascati. The CNR further consolidated these activities at
the end of the 1960s and the beginning of the 1970s, creating new laboratories (later
Institutes) such as that of radio astronomy in Bologna and space astrophysics in
Frascati, taking the lead in research in nonoptical wavelength domains and space
astronomy. Eventually, in 1999 all Observatories and CNR Astrophysics Institutes
18 The Ups and Downs (and Ups Again!) of Astrophysics in Italy After Secchi
18.8 Italian Astrophysics After WWII
An astronomical conference was held at Merate in September 1946 to reorganize
Italian astronomy after the Second World War. That meeting, organized by Gratton
in collaboration with the Società Astronomica Italiana, is generally considered the
turning point of Italian astrophysics (Rosino 1986; Masani 1998). During the program, the hope arose of a change of attitude among Italian astronomers who up to
then had not cared much to promote within the scientific faculties of universities,
“the new currents of modern astrophysics, that nevertheless has among its pioneers
Donati and Secchi (a.t.)” (Castellani 2005).
Soon after the meeting, the Italian National Research Council (CNR) agreed to
finance the development of astrophysical research. In 1947 a center for solar physics
was established at Arcetri and a joint one on stellar physics was set up at Merate and
Asiago (an annex of Padua Observatory inaugurated in 1942). In 1951 they were
merged into a single center for astrophysics. The choice of these three Observatories
was dictated by the presence of skilled personnel and modern instrumentation
(Masani 1998). Asiago Observatory was equipped with a 122-cm reflector, completed around 1950 with the arrival of a new spectroscope. A program on stellar
spectroscopy was soon started by Righini. From 1953 the directorship of Asiago
(and later of the joint Padua/Asiago sites) passed to Rosino, who extended the
expertise of its astronomers to galactic and extragalactic astrophysics (Rosino
1986). Towards the end of the 1950s, other observatories started to benefit from the
CNR support (Masani 1998).
At the turn of the decade, Italian astrophysics expanded to include developments
in radio astronomy and X- and γ-ray astronomy. At Arcetri, transformed by Righini
into a purely solar observatory, the Sun was studied in the radio domain with dedicated radio telescopes, and in X-rays using data from the series of Solrad satellites
(Fig. 18.5).
Other observatories tied to optical astronomy were not so interested in these new
developments. Instead, the greatest interest came from physicists at Italian universities. In Bologna, Giampietro Puppi (1917–2006) promoted the development of
radio astronomy, leading to the inauguration of the “Northern Cross” radio telescope of Medicina in 1964. Research in high-energy astronomy sprung up in several
Institutes of Physics, including that of Milan University led by Giuseppe Occhialini
(1907–1993). Cosmic-ray studies were also pursued, revitalizing a sector that had
greatly suffered after the departure of Bruno Rossi (1905–1993), forced to leave
Italy by the fascist racial laws.
A new generation of astrophysicists emerged around Gratton. In 1962 he had
returned to Italy to become a professor at Rome University, and he created the CNR
Center for Astrophysics at Frascati. The CNR further consolidated these activities at
the end of the 1960s and the beginning of the 1970s, creating new laboratories (later
Institutes) such as that of radio astronomy in Bologna and space astrophysics in
Frascati, taking the lead in research in nonoptical wavelength domains and space
astronomy. Eventually, in 1999 all Observatories and CNR Astrophysics Institutes
18 The Ups and Downs (and Ups Again!) of Astrophysics in Italy After Secchi