Tag Archives: Vatican Observatory

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

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This entry is part 29 of 29 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 29 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 29 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 29 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 →

Specola Guestbook: Dec 1, 1911 – Charles G. Abbot

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This entry is part 25 of 29 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 the first of December, 1911, when Charles G. Abbot made a visit. Next to his name, Charles Greeley Abbot (1872-1973) wrote, “Director Astrophysical Observatory, Washington D.C.” At the time of his visit, he was director of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO). He was the observatory’s second director, succeeding its founder Samuel Pierpont Langley in 1907. In 1928 he would become the fifth Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, but also remained director of the SAO until his retirement in 1944. While director of the SAO, Abbot oversaw the construction of an observatory facility atop Mount Whitney, in California.  His research focused mostly on the Sun and solar radiation.  He participated in several eclipse expeditions.  He carefully measured the quantity and character of solar … Continue reading →

Specola Guestbook: July 21, 1911 – Joel Metcalf

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This entry is part 24 of 29 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 21, 1911, when Joel Metcalf made a visit. Next to his name, Rev. Joel Hastings Metcalf (1866-1925) wrote “Winchester, Mass.”  He was a Unitarian minister and an avid amateur astronomer who specialized in hunting asteroids and comets. Between 1905 and 1914, he discovered 41 asteroids and several comets. He was a member of the visiting committees of the Harvard Observatory and the Ladd Observatory (Brown U.) The asteroids 726 Joëlla and 792 Metcalfia (both among the 41 he discovered) are named for him, and several of the comets he discovered also bear his name.       … Continue reading →

Specola Guestbook: April 20, 1911 – George C. Comstock

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This entry is part 22 of 29 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 20, 1911, when George C. Comstock made a visit. Next to his name, George Cary Comstock (1855-1934) wrote, “Madison, Wis. Washburn Observatory.” He was the director of Washburn Observatory (part of the University of Wisconsin – Madison) from 1887 until his retirement in 1922. As an astronomer, he mostly studied stellar aberration, atmospheric refraction, and the proper motion of double stars. He was a founding member of the American Astronomical Society in 1899 and was a coauthor of its constitution. He served as its first secretary, and in 1925 was elected president. In 1899 he became a member of the National Academy of Sciences.   … Continue reading →

Specola Guestbook: March 20, 1911 – P. H. Cowell

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This entry is part 21 of 29 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 20, 1911, when P. H. Cowell made a visit. Next to his name, Philip Herbert Cowell F.R.S. (1870-1949) wrote, “Nautical Almanac Office, Gray’s Inn, London.” He was superintendent of the H.M. Nautical Almanac Office, part of the Royal Greenwich Observatory, from 1910-1930. As an astronomer, he was particularly dedicated to celestial mechanics, computing and refining the orbits of many comets and other solar system bodies. He developed a method for computing perturbations in an orbit that proved to be both relatively simple and robust.  He is known for refining the orbit of the moon and resolving a discrepancy between its observed orbit and its theoretical orbit. He also showed that the supposed perturbations of the orbit of Neptune–that suggested the existence … Continue reading →

Specola Guestbook: Dec 13, 1910 – Maurycy Rudzki

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This entry is part 20 of 29 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 13, 1910, when Maurycy Rudzki made a visit. Next to his name, Maurycy Pius Rudzki (1862-1916) wrote, “k.k. Sternwarte Krakau” (The Royal Observatory of Krakow). [n.b. Moritz is a variation of Maurycy] Rudzki was a geophysicist who directed the department of geophysics and meteorology at Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland. He was the first person to be formally called a professor of geophysics. He established the first seismological observatory in Krakow, and in 1904 started the bulletin, Resultate der meteorologischen, seismologischen und magnetischen Beobachtungen an der k.k. Sternwarte in Krakau. His research included seismology, oceanography, meteorology, and cartography.  In geophysics, his research focused on elastic anisotropy as it pertained to the propagation of seismic waves.     … Continue reading →

Specola Guestbook: Oct 21, 1910 – Guido Horn d’Arturo

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This entry is part 19 of 29 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 October 21, 1910, when Guido Horn made a visit. Next to his name, Guido Horn d’Arturo (1879-1967) wrote, “R. osservatorio astronomico di Torino” (Royal astronomical observatory of Turin). He was an astronomer who in 1921 would become the director of the Bologna observatory. Born in Trieste, he studied in Vienna and then worked at observatories in Trieste, Catania, Turin (where he was at the time of his visit to the Specola) and the Roman College, before ending up in Bologna. During World War I (i.e. after his visit to the Specola), Guido Horn added d’Arturo to his name to Italianize it. He served in the Italian army, though his native Trieste was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire at that time.  At the … Continue reading →

Specola Guestbook: July 11, 1910 – Emily Dobbin

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This entry is part 18 of 29 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 11, 1910, when Emily Dobbin made a visit. Next to her name, Emily Elisabeth Dobbin (1875-1949) wrote, “Inst. Math & Surveying, M.A.H.S., St. Paul, Minn.” (Instructor of Mathematics and Surveying, Mechanic Arts High School, St. Paul MN) Dobbin was trained as an astronomer, receiving a masters’ degree from the University of Chicago in 1903. She worked at Yerkes Observatory, resulting in two single-authored publications (one on the orbit of the Jovian satellite Amalthea and another on Orion-type stars). However, her astronomical career never really progressed past that point. She taught mathematics, first at the University of Missouri, and then at a high school in St. Paul, Minnesota. Dobbin is particularly notable for her work in an entirely different field: that of … Continue reading →

Specola Guestbook: July 11, 1910 – Anne Sewell Young

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This entry is part 17 of 29 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 11, 1910, when Anne Sewell Young made a visit. Next to her name, Anne Sewell Young (1871-1961) wrote, “John Payson Williston Observatory, South Hadley, Mass.” After finishing an M.S. at Carleton College, Young came to Mount Holyoke College in 1898 where she became director of the John Payson Williston Observatory. Meanwhile, she completed her Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1906. Her astronomical research involved many fields: her Ph.D. was a survey of stars in the constellation Perseus. She also supervised research on sunspots and a student expedition to observe a solar eclipse in 1925. Her primary interest was variable stars. She was a founding member of the American Association of Variable Star Observers and became its president in 1923.   … Continue reading →