65
© 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_4
Chapter 4
Angelo Secchi: Portrait of a “Multiversed” Jesuit Scientist
Ileana Chinnici
4.1 Introduction
Angelo Secchi (1818–1878) is undoubtedly a complex figure: a Jesuit scientist,
characterized by both his wide range of scientific interests and his difficult historical
and political context. His life and activities were influenced by the Italian revolutions of 1848, the subsequent political unification process, the annexation of Rome,
and the consequent adversarial relationship between the Papal and the Italian governments. At the same time, Secchi benefited from the lively philosophical and scientific debates of his century, positioning himself decisively among the pioneers of
new ideas, theories, and techniques. Many contemporaneous biographies are far
from being entirely reliable; instead, they are often full of an almost “hagiographic”
rhetoric. However, recent biographic studies (Chinnici 2019) show us a portrait of
an open-minded and versatile scientist, talented in many scientific disciplines, sensitive to new ideas and inclined to explore new paths; yet at the same time, a man
who suffered for his convictions, was faithful to his obligations, and was applauded
and detested by opposing parties both in politics and in science. (Fig. 4.1).
Secchi is known primarily as the director of the Collegio Romano Observatory and
one of the founders of astrophysics. His contributions to other sciences, however, cannot be neglected, and this present volume in particular intends to complement the
recent biographic studies by focusing on Secchi’s multiple scientific interests.
In all the wide range of Secchi’s research activities, there was a unifying point of
view that came from his background in physics. His approach to all the sciences was
consistently that of a physicist, and in particular an experimentalist – even in those
I. Chinnici (*)
INAF – Osservatorio Astronomico di Palermo, Palermo, Italy
e-mail: ileana.chinnici@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_4
Chapter 4
Angelo Secchi: Portrait of a “Multiversed” Jesuit Scientist
Ileana Chinnici
4.1 Introduction
Angelo Secchi (1818–1878) is undoubtedly a complex figure: a Jesuit scientist,
characterized by both his wide range of scientific interests and his difficult historical
and political context. His life and activities were influenced by the Italian revolutions of 1848, the subsequent political unification process, the annexation of Rome,
and the consequent adversarial relationship between the Papal and the Italian governments. At the same time, Secchi benefited from the lively philosophical and scientific debates of his century, positioning himself decisively among the pioneers of
new ideas, theories, and techniques. Many contemporaneous biographies are far
from being entirely reliable; instead, they are often full of an almost “hagiographic”
rhetoric. However, recent biographic studies (Chinnici 2019) show us a portrait of
an open-minded and versatile scientist, talented in many scientific disciplines, sensitive to new ideas and inclined to explore new paths; yet at the same time, a man
who suffered for his convictions, was faithful to his obligations, and was applauded
and detested by opposing parties both in politics and in science. (Fig. 4.1).
Secchi is known primarily as the director of the Collegio Romano Observatory and
one of the founders of astrophysics. His contributions to other sciences, however, cannot be neglected, and this present volume in particular intends to complement the
recent biographic studies by focusing on Secchi’s multiple scientific interests.
In all the wide range of Secchi’s research activities, there was a unifying point of
view that came from his background in physics. His approach to all the sciences was
consistently that of a physicist, and in particular an experimentalist – even in those
I. Chinnici (*)
INAF – Osservatorio Astronomico di Palermo, Palermo, Italy
e-mail: ileana.chinnici@inaf.it