347
correspondence preserved at the archive of the Observatory in Padua and at the
Lorenzoni fund in the archive of Arcetri Observatory.
5
The organization of the expedition to Sicily on the occasion of the total eclipse
of the Sun on 22 December 1870, the first scientific expedition after the unification
of Italy, constitutes a moment of close exchange among Italian astronomers (Chinnici
2008). Giovanni Santini, chairman of the commission created for the organization
of the expedition, formally invited Secchi to participate. In this circumstance Secchi
was at the center of a controversy; despite being recognized for his very high scientific competence, his being a Jesuit put him in a position of difficulty at a time of
great tension in the relations between the new Italian state and the Church. The
Archive of the Observatory of Palermo is the custodian of all the documentation
related to the 1870 expedition, including about 50 letters by Angelo Secchi, almost
all addressed to Gaetano Cacciatore (1814–1889), director of the Observatory.
5 On the Lorenzoni Archive held in Arcetri, see Bianchi, S. Gasperini, A. 2017.
Fig. 20.1 Box containing the letters by Secchi to Tacchini, concealed for decades among the
books of INAF-OAA library (credit: A. Gasperini)
20 Secchi’s Diffuse Correspondence in Italian Archives
correspondence preserved at the archive of the Observatory in Padua and at the
Lorenzoni fund in the archive of Arcetri Observatory.
5
The organization of the expedition to Sicily on the occasion of the total eclipse
of the Sun on 22 December 1870, the first scientific expedition after the unification
of Italy, constitutes a moment of close exchange among Italian astronomers (Chinnici
2008). Giovanni Santini, chairman of the commission created for the organization
of the expedition, formally invited Secchi to participate. In this circumstance Secchi
was at the center of a controversy; despite being recognized for his very high scientific competence, his being a Jesuit put him in a position of difficulty at a time of
great tension in the relations between the new Italian state and the Church. The
Archive of the Observatory of Palermo is the custodian of all the documentation
related to the 1870 expedition, including about 50 letters by Angelo Secchi, almost
all addressed to Gaetano Cacciatore (1814–1889), director of the Observatory.
5 On the Lorenzoni Archive held in Arcetri, see Bianchi, S. Gasperini, A. 2017.
Fig. 20.1 Box containing the letters by Secchi to Tacchini, concealed for decades among the
books of INAF-OAA library (credit: A. Gasperini)
20 Secchi’s Diffuse Correspondence in Italian Archives