Tag Archives: Specola Guestbook

Specola Guestbook: July 4, 1913 – Curvin Gingrich

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This entry is part 37 of 37 in the series Specola Guestbook

Since its founding in 1891, many people have passed through the doors of the Vatican Observatory.  A quick perusal of our guestbook reveals several Names, including Popes, nobel laureates, astronauts, actors, and saints. Today’s guestbook entry is from July 4, 1913, when Curvin H. Gingrich made a visit. Next to his name, Curvin Henry Gingrich (1880-1951) wrote, “Popular Astronomy, Goodsell Obsy. Northfield, Minn.” He was the third editor of the magazine Popular Astronomy. From 1909 until his death in 1951, he was on the faculty at Carleton College in Northfield, MN. His research involved the measurement of positions and proper motions of stars, and later photometry. He joined the editorial staff of Popular Astronomy in 1910, and became its editor in 1926. Under his leadership, the magazine developed a close relationship with the American Astronomical Society.  Unfortunately, the magazine died shortly after Gingrich in 1951. … Continue reading →

Specola Guestbook: March 26, 1913 – Georges Lecointe

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This entry is part 36 of 37 in the series Specola Guestbook

Since its founding in 1891, many people have passed through the doors of the Vatican Observatory.  A quick perusal of our guestbook reveals several Names, including Popes, nobel laureates, astronauts, actors, and saints. Today’s guestbook entry is from March 26, 1913, when Georges Lecointe made a visit.   Next to his name, Georges Lecointe (1869-1929) wrote, “Directeur à l-observatoire royal de Belgique, à Uccle” (“Director  of the Royal Observatory of Belgium, in Uccle.”) He was scientific director of the observatory from 1900-1914, and director of the observatory from 1914-1925. He was also a Belgian Naval officer, captaining the research ship Belgica from 1897-1901. During this period, he was second in command of the Belgian Antarctic Expedition.  This was the first expedition that stayed overwinter in Antarctica. The crew of the expedition also included Roald Amundsen, who would lead the first expedition to reach the South Pole in 1911. He was founder of the International Polar Organization. He was a founding … Continue reading →

Specola Guestbook: March 25, 1913 – Jens Schroeter

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This entry is part 35 of 37 in the series Specola Guestbook

Since its founding in 1891, many people have passed through the doors of the Vatican Observatory.  A quick perusal of our guestbook reveals several Names, including Popes, nobel laureates, astronauts, actors, and saints. Today’s guestbook entry is from March 25, 1913, when Jens F. Schroeter made a visit. Next to his name, Jens Fredrick Wilhelm Schroeter (1857-1927) wrote, “Observator an der Sternwarte in Kristiania” (“Observator at the observatory in Kristiania.”) He was an astronomer of the Observatory of Royal Frederick University in Oslo, Norway. He would become the director of the observatory in 1919. [n.b. “Kristiania” was the official name of Oslo from 1877-1925.] Schroeter also edited the Nordic Astronomical Journal.   … Continue reading →

Specola Guestbook: March 24, 1913 – Fernand Jacobs

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This entry is part 34 of 37 in the series Specola Guestbook

Since its founding in 1891, many people have passed through the doors of the Vatican Observatory.  A quick perusal of our guestbook reveals several Names, including Popes, nobel laureates, astronauts, actors, and saints. Today’s guestbook entry is from March 24, 1913, when Fernand Jacobs made a visit. Next to his name, Fernand Jacobs (1870-1926) wrote, “President de la S’té Belge d’astronomie Bruxelles” (“President of the Belgian Astronomical Society, Brussels”) He was the founding president of the Belgian Astronomical Society. He was also the founding president of the Aeronautics Club of Belgium and the founding vice-president of the International Aeronautic Federation (FAI, for Federation Aeronautique Internationale).   … Continue reading →

Specola Guestbook: March 14, 1913 – Francesco Porro de Somenzi

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This entry is part 33 of 37 in the series Specola Guestbook

Since its founding in 1891, many people have passed through the doors of the Vatican Observatory.  A quick perusal of our guestbook reveals several Names, including Popes, nobel laureates, astronauts, actors, and saints. Today’s guestbook entry is from March 14, 1913, when Francesco Porro made a visit. Next to his name, Francesco Porro de’ Somenzi (1861-1937) wrote, “Professore di Astronomia nella R. Università di Genova” (“Professor of astronomy at the Royal University of Genoa”) From 1886 until 1902, he was director of the observatory in Turin, Italy, and oversaw its relocation as the Pino Torinese observatory. He moved to Genoa from 1902-1905. From 1905-1910 he was director of the National Observatory of La Plata, Argentina, after which he returned to the University of Genoa as professor of astronomy, geography, theoretical geodesy, and meteorology. He is most known for having done the data reductions of stellar field observations made by Giuseppe Piazzi (discoverer of Ceres) at the Palermo observatory.     … Continue reading →

Specola Guestbook: February 4, 1913 – Edwin B. Frost

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This entry is part 32 of 37 in the series Specola Guestbook

Since its founding in 1891, many people have passed through the doors of the Vatican Observatory.  A quick perusal of our guestbook reveals several Names, including Popes, nobel laureates, astronauts, actors, and saints. Today’s guestbook entry is from February 4, 1913, when Edwin Frost made a visit. Next to his name, Edwin Brant Frost II (1866-1935) wrote, “Yerkes Observatory, Williams Bay, Wis.” He was director of the Yerkes Observatory from 1905 to 1932. Over roughly the same period, he was editor of the Astrophysical Journal, one of the leading publications for astrophysical research. His research involved spectroscopic binary stars. (That is, where the two stars are not resolved visually, but the dual doppler shift of the stellar spectrum indicates its binary nature.) He was the first to note the peculiar variability of Beta Cepheid variable stars. There is a crater on the Moon named Frost in his honor, and the asteroid 854 Frostia.     … Continue reading →

Specola Guestbook: December 24, 1912 – Wilhelm Foerster

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This entry is part 31 of 37 in the series Specola Guestbook

Since its founding in 1891, many people have passed through the doors of the Vatican Observatory.  A quick perusal of our guestbook reveals several Names, including Popes, nobel laureates, astronauts, actors, and saints. Today’s guestbook entry is from December 24, 1912, when Wilhelm Foerster made a visit. Next to his name, Prof. Wilhelm Julius Foerster (1832-1921) wrote, “Berlin – Westend, Kaiserdamm 84” He had been director of the Berlin Observatory from 1865-1903. In 1860, he participated in the discovery of the comet 62 Erato. He served as director of the German commission for standards in measurement, and in 1891 became president of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures. He also was a pacifist who participated in organizations that promoted the cause of international cooperation and opposed nationalism. Along with Albert Einstein and a few others, he signed a manifesto opposing World War I. The observatory Wilhelm-Foerster-Sternwarte e.V. (Berlin) was named in his honor. The asteroid 6771 Foerster is named … Continue reading →

Specola Guestbook: December 16, 1912 – Charles L. Doolittle

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This entry is part 30 of 37 in the series Specola Guestbook

Since its founding in 1891, many people have passed through the doors of the Vatican Observatory.  A quick perusal of our guestbook reveals several Names, including Popes, nobel laureates, astronauts, actors, and saints. Today’s guestbook entry is from December 16, 1912, when Charles L. Doolittle made a visit. Next to his name, Charles Leander Doolittle (1843-1919) wrote, “Flower Observatory – Philadelphia Pa.” He was director of the Flower Observatory from 1895-1912. From 1875-1895, he was a professor of mathematics and astronomy at Lehigh University, operating the Zenith telescope at Sayre Observatory. In 1895, he became director of the Flower Observatory at the University of Pennsylvania. He retired in 1912, the year of his visit to the Specola. One might imagine that he used the opportunity of his retirement to travel abroad and visit colleagues at other institutions (such as the Vatican Observatory). Charles Leander Doolittle was the father of the accomplished poet Hilda Doolittle, who published under her initials H.D. … Continue reading →

Specola Guestbook: May 10, 1912 – Frederick H. Seares

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This entry is part 29 of 37 in the series Specola Guestbook

Since its founding in 1891, many people have passed through the doors of the Vatican Observatory.  A quick perusal of our guestbook reveals several Names, including Popes, nobel laureates, astronauts, actors, and saints. Today’s guestbook entry is from May 10, 1912, when Frederick Seares made a visit. Next to his name, Frederick Hanley Seares (1873-1964) wrote, “Mount Wilson Solar Observatory, California.” He had been at the observatory since 1909, and would remain there until 1945. Seares researched a number of areas of astronomy, including variable stars, comets, and galaxies. One of his most significant astronomical contributions is the establishment of standards for the system of stellar magnitude and its extension for stars beyond 18th magnitude. He also studied the relative brightnesses of spiral nebulae (galaxies) compared to the Milky Way, and the attenuation and reddening of starlight passing through interstellar gas and dust. He was elected president of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific in 1929, and was awarded the … Continue reading →

Specola Guestbook: April 6, 1912 – Stanislas Meunier

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This entry is part 28 of 37 in the series Specola Guestbook

Since its founding in 1891, many people have passed through the doors of the Vatican Observatory.  A quick perusal of our guestbook reveals several Names, including Popes, nobel laureates, astronauts, actors, and saints. Today’s guestbook entry is from April 6, 1912, when Stanislas Meunier made a visit. Next to his name, Stanislas-Étienne Meunier (1843-1925) wrote, “Muséum Paris.”  He was the chair of Geology at the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (MNHN) in Paris, France. In my field of meteoritics, his contributions are not insignificant. He compared the chemical compositions of meteorites with those elements identified in solar spectra. He recognized that (except for the most volatile elements) the elemental composition of meteorites closely matches that of the Sun. From this, he concluded that the overall composition of the solar system is effectively uniform. He also introduced experimental geology as a distinct field of science. He contributed much to our understanding of the geology of the Paris Basin.       … Continue reading →

Specola Guestbook: March 30, 1912 – Russell Crawford

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This entry is part 27 of 37 in the series Specola Guestbook

Since its founding in 1891, many people have passed through the doors of the Vatican Observatory.  A quick perusal of our guestbook reveals several Names, including Popes, nobel laureates, astronauts, actors, and saints. Today’s guestbook entry is from March 30, 1912, when Russell T. Crawford made a visit. Next to his name, Russell Tracy Crawford (1876-1958) wrote, “University of California, Berkeley, Calif. U.S.A.” He was an astronomer who spent most of his career at U.C. Berkeley. His interest in astronomy began at a young age; he had joined an eclipse expedition at age twelve. He earned the University of California’s first Ph.D. in astronomy, based on research conducted at Lick Observatory. (He also had one of the first fellowships granted by the observatory.) He became president of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific in 1914, and also served as chair of the International Astronomical Union (IAU)’s Committee on Calendar Reform. He is the author of The Determination of Orbits of … Continue reading →

Specola Guestbook: January 18, 1912 – Nello Venturi Ginori

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This entry is part 26 of 37 in the series Specola Guestbook

Since its founding in 1891, many people have passed through the doors of the Vatican Observatory.  A quick perusal of our guestbook reveals several Names, including Popes, nobel laureates, astronauts, actors, and saints. Today’s guestbook entry is from January 18, 1912, when Nello Venturi Ginori made a visit. Next to his name, Nello Venturi Ginori Lisci (1884-1943) wrote simply, “Firenze” (Florence). He was part of an Italian noble family from the region of Florence, the son of Ippolito Venturi Ginori, and apparently a descendent of King James I. He studied astronomy in university, but from 1908-1911 he bowed to family pressure and became a banker in Argentina. At the time of his visit to the Specola, he had returned to Florence and was looking to get back into astronomy. He was accompanied on the visit by Giorgio Abetti, of the Observatory of the Roman College. (Please see the previous Specola Guestbook post on Giorgio Abetti. Also, Abetti wrote the memorial … Continue reading →