The correspondence of Giovanni Santini and Giuseppe Lorenzoni, directors of the Astronomical Observatory of Padua in the 19th century

Luisa Pigatto Luisa Pigatto

doi:10.4401/ag-4619

Abstract

Giovanni Santini was appointed director of the Astronomical Observatory of Padova from 1817 to 1877. His scientific correspondence covers a period from 1807 to 1874. Most of the letters are from Italian and European astronomers, mainly concerning astronomical subjects. In actual fact, all Santini’s activity was devoted to the classical astronomy, mainly to the new comets and planets orbit calculation, as far as to the compilation of a catalogue of almost ten thousand stars. From 1821 to 1828, he was involved in geodetic observations in order to determine the difference of longitude between Milan-Padua and Padua-Fiume. Giuseppe Lorenzoni was appointed director after Santini’s death, from 1877 to 1913. Since 1873, he took part in the Italian Geodetic Commission to which he devoted almost all his scientific activity. Lorenzoni’s scientific correspondence was partly lost for war reasons. A partial correspondence with Giovanni Virginio Schiaparelli and almost the complete correspondence with Pietro Tacchini, were recovered after the second World War. Santini and Lorenzoni correspondence cover a period about a hundred years long. So, it is an important tool of knowledge for the history of Padova Astronomical Observatory in the 19th century, for its scientific activity, and for the relationship among Italian and European astronomers and institutions.

Highlights

Giovanni Santini was appointed director of the Astronomical Observatory of Padova from 1817 to 1877
Giovanni Santini (1787-1877) was appointed astronomer assistant at the Observatory of Padua in 1806, during the Italic Reign established by Napoleon in 1805
Santini had a great deal of correspondence: more than a thousand letters are preserved at the Padua Observatory historical archive

Summary

Introduction

«Of Astronomy fruit, but ramifications are Geography, Chronology, Navigation, without which the commerce cannot be practised, not even the social life can be conceived. With these words, Giuseppe Toaldo (17191797), professor of astronomy, geography and meteorology at Padua University and director of the astronomical Observatory of Padova from 1767 to 1797 (Pigatto, 2000), introduced the beginning of the lessons for the academic year 1766-67, in order to defend astronomy from the easy accusation of being useless science. Giuseppe Toaldo (17191797), professor of astronomy, geography and meteorology at Padua University and director of the astronomical Observatory of Padova from 1767 to 1797 (Pigatto, 2000), introduced the beginning of the lessons for the academic year 1766-67, in order to defend astronomy from the easy accusation of being useless science In this way he stated that task of the astronomer was that of taking care of all the disciplines mentioned here, in addition to that of making regular meteorological observations. Meteorological observations continued to be made in the Italian observatories following the tradition which was born in the 18th century

Santini’s correspondence

Santini’s geodetic observations

Lorenzoni’s correspondence

Lorenzoni-Tacchini correspondence