Osservatorio astronomico di Palermo

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Osservatorio astronomico di Palermo
0564 - Palermo - Palazzo dei Normanni, facciata principale - Photo Giovanni Dall'Orto, 28-Sept-2006.jpg

Palazzo dei Normanni with the dome of the observatory
founding 1790
IAU code 535
Type Observatory
place Palermo
management Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica
Website INAF - OSSERVATORIO ASTRONOMICO DI PALERMO "Giuseppe Salvatore Vaiana"

Osservatorio astronomico di Palermo (also Osservatorio Astronomico di Palermo "Giuseppe S. Vaiana" ) is an observatory in Palermo , Sicily , Italy . It is located in the Palazzo dei Normanni and is a research facility of the Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF). The observatory carries out various research projects in the field of astronomy and astrophysics through, including the study of the sun - and star - corona , the star formation and development and the study of supernova remnants .

history

The observatory was founded in 1790 by Ferdinand I of Bourbon, King of the Two Sicilies. On the recommendation of contemporary intellectuals, including the then Viceroy Francesco d'Aquino , to equip the Sicilian city with an element of prestige such as an astronomical observatory.

The first specola from Palermo

It was difficult to find an experienced astronomer who at the time agreed to work in such a peripheral place. In the end, the choice fell on Giuseppe Piazzi , a mathematician who was over forty years old and had not particularly excelled in astronomy up to that point. The new director immediately dealt with the purchase of the most modern astronomical instruments of the time in order to bring the observatory to a European level: Among other things, a circular dividing machine was purchased, made by the well-known English manufacturer Jesse Ramsden , and the first dome was built. It was Piazzi's determination that allowed the precious English instrument to reach Sicily. He had to go in person to urge the manufacturer and later remove any bureaucratic difficulties that arose. Indeed, the British government was reluctant to let a globally unique instrument out of its confines (a status that lasted for many years and was a fundamental aspect of the observatory's early value). Thanks to these new devices, and in particular the circular dividing machine, Giuseppe Piazzi was able to discover the first asteroid in 1801, which he named Cerere Ferdinandea , after the Roman goddess of agriculture and, of course, in reference to King Ferdinando. Thanks to this discovery, he was awarded a gold medal, which he refused to use the prize to purchase other instruments, including a Troughton equator , located in the observatory's second dome.

In 1817 Piazzi moved to Naples to complete the construction of the Capodimonte Observatory , leaving the management to Niccolò Cacciatore . Cacciatore was replaced by his son Gaetano in 1841; However, in 1848 he was removed for political reasons after participating in the anti-Bourbon revolutionary movements. Domenico Ragona was then put in charge of the Palermo Observatory, who managed to obtain the funds needed to purchase new instruments from the government of the two Sicilies, including an excellent 25 cm Merz equatorial telescope delivered in 1859.

With the arrival of the thousand in 1860, the situation was reversed: Gaetano Cacciatore was reassigned to the management functions and Ragona moved away from Palermo without being able to place the large Merz telescope. Pietro Tacchini , who was appointed assistant astronomer in 1863, installed the equatorial telescope in 1865 and used it for research in solar physics . Which made the Palermo Observatory famous in the second half of the 19th century and led to the establishment of the Society of Italian Spectroscopists (1871), whose memoirs - the first survey of astrophysics - were regularly published in Palermo by Tacchini from 1872.

Tacchini's departure for Rome in 1879 marked a difficult phase. Annibale Riccò , who succeeded him as chief astronomer, managed to maintain the quality of the research until he took over the management of the Catania Observatory in 1890 . Then the political and military events - and the resulting financial difficulties of the government - severely affected the fate of the observatory. In 1923 this was downgraded as part of the university. Filippo Angelitti was its director for thirty years. Angelitti bought an 8 cm zenith telescope from Wanschaff with funds from the university , which he installed in place of the old circle of Ramsden.

Corradino Mineo followed from 1931 to 1936 , a graduate of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei , who had a second term in office from 1938 to 1948 after being headed by Francesco Zagar . These years were marked by great difficulties for the institution, which had already been downgraded after the reform of 1923 and suffered from a sharp decline with downsizing and a lack of funds for the implementation of the observations and for the technical adjustments of the instruments. The problems worsened during and after the Second World War , when the observatory was about to close and some of its rooms were robbed after it was robbed of the only modern observation instrument in 1939, the zenith telescope by Julius Wanschaff from Berlin .

Recovery came in the 1950s. The three domes originally placed on the roof of the building were replaced by others made of iron, but later had to be removed again because they were too heavy and dangerous for the structure. New lighter copper domes like the previous ones were later installed. It is named after Giuseppe Salvatore Vaiana , who directed the observatory from 1976 to 1991.

Today the activities take place in two places: the historical site of the Palazzo dei Normanni, where the observatory originated, and the laboratory in Via Ingrassia, where the laboratories, workshops and high-performance computers are located.

activities

Instrumentation in the dome of the observatory

The observatory has a laboratory for the development and testing of scientific instruments for telescopes in the X-ray band (XACT for X-ray astronomy, XACT) in a free-standing office. A high-level data center is an integral part of the observatory's facilities. Services for the implementation of numerical models of astrophysical interest (calculation system for numerical astrophysics, SCAN) and the Museo della Specola, which contains an extensive collection of astronomical instruments of the observatory.

instrumentation

It is currently equipped with an automated telescope, with the possibility of an integrated remote control, including the movement of the dome. It is a 14-inch Celestron "C14" telescope, which has been extensively modified and improved and is equipped with a "SBIG ST-7E" CCD detector.

museum

The "Museum of the Specola", located on top of the Pisan tower of the Palazzo dei Normanni, consists mainly of instruments from the 18th and 19th centuries, including achromatic telescopes, a sextant, some barometers and thermometers, in addition to those already mentioned Equipment: the Ramsden Circle and the Troughton Equator, there are other contemporary tools and a number of oil paintings depicting personalities from the scientific world.

Directors

Web links

Commons : Osservatorio astronomico di Palermo  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c MINEO, Corradino. In: Dizionario biografico degli italiani - Volume 74 (2010). Retrieved May 16, 2020 (Italian).
  2. ↑ Elenco dei Direttori. In: INAF - OSSERVATORIO ASTRONOMICO DI PALERMO. Retrieved May 16, 2020 (Italian).