327
On September 20, 1870, Rome became part of the Kingdom of Italy, and the
observatory was maintained as an independent institution. Following the death of
Secchi, in 1879 a new Ufficio Centrale di Meteorologia (Argentieri and Parotto,
Chap. 14 in this volume) was established at the Collegio Romano, and the observatory became part of it, under the direction of Pietro Tacchini (1838–1905).
Pietro Tacchini was a friend and collaborator of Secchi and co-founder with him
and Respighi of the Società degli Spettroscopisti Italiani. Tacchini was a bright
astronomer and he worked hard to keep the activities of the Observatory of Collegio
Romano alive (Riccò 1905). He issued daily meteorological bulletins and founded
a seismologic observatory. In 1891 he also managed to restore it as an independent
institution. Tacchini asked Elia Millosevich (1848–1919) to come to Rome and to
continue the work of the observatory as vice-director.
In 1886 Tacchini also founded the Museo Astronomico e Copernicano in which
he collected many astronomical instruments from the Collegio Romano and other
Roman observatories that were no longer in use, as well as objects from Kircher’s
Museum (Calisi 2000). Tacchini himself used part of the budget of the observatory
to buy old books and old astronomical instruments, increasing the collection up to
744 books, 633 booklets, and 206 rare objects (Tacchini 1901; Armellini 1939).
From Arturo Wolinsky he acquired an important collection of artifacts and books
related to Copernicus. All this was located in the fifth floor of the Collegio Romano,
just below Calandrelli Tower. From Guido Baccelli, the Ministry of the National
Education of that time, he got permission to rename the institution as “Collegio
Romano Observatory with the Astronomical and Copernican Museum.”
Tacchini also acquired new instrumentation, such as a meridian circle made by
Salmoiraghi in Milan to replace the old Ertel meridian circle obtained by De Vico,
a new refractor made by Cavignato, and a new mounting for the Cauchoix telescope. Finally, in 1902 he obtained a 38-cm-diameter lens from the Steinheil factory
to equip the Cavignato telescope. Thanks to this new instrumentation, Millosevich
obtained important scientific results on minor bodies of the solar system, leading to
the discovery of several new minor planets, asteroids, and comets, and completed a
new star catalog containing 1291 stars down to 9.1 mag.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, new astronomers joined the Collegio
Romano: Emanuele Tringali (1867–1916), Emilio Bianchi (1875–1941), Giovanni
Zappa (1884–1923), Giorgio Abetti (1882–1982), and Eugenio Padova (1885–1925).
In 1902 Millosevich succeeded Tacchini as the director of the observatory, and in
1919 Emilio Bianchi succeeded him. In 1922 Emilio Bianchi became the director of
Brera Observatory in Milan, Giuseppe Armellini (1887–1958) became the director
of the Observatory of Campidoglio (see below), and Giovanni Zappa was appointed
director of the Collegio Romano Observatory. When Zappa became the director of
Collegio Romano, he was already the director of the Astronomical Observatory of
Teramo, and he also kept that position, preferring to stay mainly in Teramo. He
committed suicide on September 14, 1923, drinking the mercury of the Troughton
artificial horizon (Cerulli 1923). On December 31, 1923, a Royal Decree merged
the observatories of the Collegio Romano and Campidoglio (Fig. 19.2).
19 Astronomy in Rome After Secchi and His Legacy at the Astronomical Observatory…
On September 20, 1870, Rome became part of the Kingdom of Italy, and the
observatory was maintained as an independent institution. Following the death of
Secchi, in 1879 a new Ufficio Centrale di Meteorologia (Argentieri and Parotto,
Chap. 14 in this volume) was established at the Collegio Romano, and the observatory became part of it, under the direction of Pietro Tacchini (1838–1905).
Pietro Tacchini was a friend and collaborator of Secchi and co-founder with him
and Respighi of the Società degli Spettroscopisti Italiani. Tacchini was a bright
astronomer and he worked hard to keep the activities of the Observatory of Collegio
Romano alive (Riccò 1905). He issued daily meteorological bulletins and founded
a seismologic observatory. In 1891 he also managed to restore it as an independent
institution. Tacchini asked Elia Millosevich (1848–1919) to come to Rome and to
continue the work of the observatory as vice-director.
In 1886 Tacchini also founded the Museo Astronomico e Copernicano in which
he collected many astronomical instruments from the Collegio Romano and other
Roman observatories that were no longer in use, as well as objects from Kircher’s
Museum (Calisi 2000). Tacchini himself used part of the budget of the observatory
to buy old books and old astronomical instruments, increasing the collection up to
744 books, 633 booklets, and 206 rare objects (Tacchini 1901; Armellini 1939).
From Arturo Wolinsky he acquired an important collection of artifacts and books
related to Copernicus. All this was located in the fifth floor of the Collegio Romano,
just below Calandrelli Tower. From Guido Baccelli, the Ministry of the National
Education of that time, he got permission to rename the institution as “Collegio
Romano Observatory with the Astronomical and Copernican Museum.”
Tacchini also acquired new instrumentation, such as a meridian circle made by
Salmoiraghi in Milan to replace the old Ertel meridian circle obtained by De Vico,
a new refractor made by Cavignato, and a new mounting for the Cauchoix telescope. Finally, in 1902 he obtained a 38-cm-diameter lens from the Steinheil factory
to equip the Cavignato telescope. Thanks to this new instrumentation, Millosevich
obtained important scientific results on minor bodies of the solar system, leading to
the discovery of several new minor planets, asteroids, and comets, and completed a
new star catalog containing 1291 stars down to 9.1 mag.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, new astronomers joined the Collegio
Romano: Emanuele Tringali (1867–1916), Emilio Bianchi (1875–1941), Giovanni
Zappa (1884–1923), Giorgio Abetti (1882–1982), and Eugenio Padova (1885–1925).
In 1902 Millosevich succeeded Tacchini as the director of the observatory, and in
1919 Emilio Bianchi succeeded him. In 1922 Emilio Bianchi became the director of
Brera Observatory in Milan, Giuseppe Armellini (1887–1958) became the director
of the Observatory of Campidoglio (see below), and Giovanni Zappa was appointed
director of the Collegio Romano Observatory. When Zappa became the director of
Collegio Romano, he was already the director of the Astronomical Observatory of
Teramo, and he also kept that position, preferring to stay mainly in Teramo. He
committed suicide on September 14, 1923, drinking the mercury of the Troughton
artificial horizon (Cerulli 1923). On December 31, 1923, a Royal Decree merged
the observatories of the Collegio Romano and Campidoglio (Fig. 19.2).
19 Astronomy in Rome After Secchi and His Legacy at the Astronomical Observatory…