Leonida Rosino
Leonida Rosino (born September 19, 1915 in Treviso , † July 31, 1997 in Padua ) was an Italian astronomer .
Life
Rosino attended high school in Treviso and Padua and showed an early interest in astronomy. He then studied physics at the University of Padua and graduated in 1938 with a dissertation on the nature of stellar atmospheres with Giovanni Silva and Bruno Rossi . In January 1939 he became assistant professor of astronomy with Francesco Zagar at the University of Bologna . He took the place of Luigi Giuseppe Jacchia , who had been dismissed on the basis of the fascist racial laws . In 1949 he stayed at the Yerkes Observatory at the University of Chicago for a long time and also had access to the large telescope at the McDonald Observatory in Texas.
In 1953 he received a professorship in astronomy at the University of Cagliari , but returned to Bologna after a year. In 1956 he was appointed to the University of Padua, where he stayed until his retirement in 1990. In 1953 he was entrusted with the management of the Asiago observatory .
During his time in Bologna he married Rosalia Tampellini, the marriage remained childless. Rosino died on July 31, 1997 from complications after an operation.
Services
Rosino was one of the most influential figures in Italian astronomy in the second half of the twentieth century. Together with Livio Gratton and Guglielmo Righini , he ensured that astrophysics was established as a branch of astronomy in Italy. As a result of his efforts, the first astronomy course in Italy was set up in Padua in 1968.
In his research Rosino dealt mainly with variable stars , which he examined spectroscopically and photometrically . For more than two decades, he systematically studied RR Lyrae stars in globular clusters , which made it possible to determine the distance between the clusters.
He studied cataclysmic variables , especially of the U Geminorum type , as well as novae and supernovae in M31 and M33 and showed that their rates depend on the morphological type of the galaxy. He found a relationship to determine the distance of novae from the rate of decrease in brightness.
Rosino was responsible for the development and expansion of the Asiago observatory, which under his direction received three new telescopes and became the center of observational astronomy in Italy. He was also strongly committed to the construction of the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo on La Palma , which started operating shortly before his death.
Honors
- Member of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei
- Member of the Accademia Olimpica
- Honorary doctorate, University of Basel , 1970
- Gold Medal of the State of Italy for Services to School, Culture and Art, 1973
- Honorary doctorate in natural sciences, University of Innsbruck , 1989
- Naming of the asteroid (7715) Leonidarosino after him
literature
- Francesco Bertola: Rosino, Leonida. In: Raffaele Romanelli (ed.): Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (DBI). Volume 88: Robusti – Roverella. Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana, Rome 2017.
- Francesco Bertola: Leonida Rosino, 1915–1997 . In: Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society . tape 31 , 1999, p. 1610 , bibcode : 1999BAAS ... 31.1610B .
Individual evidence
- ^ University of Innsbruck - academic honors until 1989
- ^ Lutz D. Schmadel: Dictionary of Minor Planet Names . 6th edition. Springer, Heidelberg 2012, ISBN 978-3-642-29717-5 , p. 596 , doi : 10.1007 / 978-3-642-29718-2 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Rosino, Leonida |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Italian astronomer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 19, 1915 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Treviso |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 31, 1997 |
| Place of death | Padua |