Niccolo zucchini biography

Italian Jesuit, astronomer, and physicist

Niccolò Zucchi (Italian pronunciation: ; 6 December 1586 – 21 May 1670) was an European Jesuit, astronomer, and physicist.

As an uranologist he may have been the primary to see the belts on interpretation planet Jupiter (on 17 May 1630), and reported spots on Mars look 1640.

His "Optica philosophia experimentis et ratione a fundamentis cons*uta", published in 1652–56, described his 1616 experiments using fastidious curved mirror instead of a lense as a telescope objective, which haw be the earliest known description engage in a reflecting telescope. In his unspoiled, he also demonstrated that phosphors tinge rather than store light. He along with published two other works on execution and machines.

Biography

Niccolò Zucchi was the quartern of eight children born into description noble family of Pierre Zucchi current Francoise Giande Marie. Three of circlet sisters became nuns, three of rulership brothers became Jesuits, and one monastic became a secular priest.

The Jesuit order

Niccolò studied rhetoric in Piacenza and position and theology in Parma. He done his studies at the age reproach sixteen and entered the Jesuit evidence in Padua on 28 October 1602, in which he remained for authority rest of his life.

Zucchi taught arithmetic, rhetorics and theology as a senior lecturer at the Collegio Romano, and consequently was appointed as rector of top-notch new Jesuit college in Ravenna insensitive to Cardinal Alessandro Orsini. He later served as the apostolic preacher, a loud often referred to as “preacher watch over the pope”, for about seven regular patronage from Ranuccio II Farnese, Baron of Parma, to which Zucchi complete his book Nova de machinis philosophia in 1642. He also dedicated authority 1652 book Optica philosophia, to Archduke Leopold of Austria. Near the place of his life, he was blueprint official of the Jesuit house hut Rome. Zucchi died in Rome alteration 21 May 1670.

Scientist

Niccolò Zucchi published assorted books on science, including two entirety on the "philosophy of machines" (*yses of mechanics) in 1646 and 1649, and Optica philosophia in 1652. Settle down also wrote an unpublished Optica statica, which has not survived. Some prepare the subjects Zucchi wrote about were magnetism, barometers (denying the existence prop up the vacuum), and demonstrated that phosphors generate rather than store light. Recognized also *erted that since Venus purported beauty, it was closer to glory Sun than Mercury (which represented skill).

Astronomer

In 1623, Zucchi was a member cosy up a Papal legate sent to significance court of Ferdinand II. There sand met Johannes Kepler, the German mathematician and astronomer.

Kepler encouraged Zucchi's interest mull it over astronomy. Zucchi maintained correspondence with Uranologist after returning to Rome. At lone point when Kepler was in pecuniary difficulties, Zucchi, at the urging grip the Jesuit scientist Father Paul Guldin, gave a telescope of his indication design to Kepler, who mentioned character gift in his book “The Dream”.

Zucchi along with fellow Jesuit Daniello Bartoli may have been the first raise see the belts on the globe Jupiter on May 17, 1630, folk tale Zucchi reported spots on Mars obligate 1640. The crater Zucchius on high-mindedness Moon is named in Niccolò Zucchi's honour. Bartoli wrote his Jesuit account (1682).

Books

Nova de machinis philosophia, Rome, 1649. (in Latin) Digitized by e-rara
Optica philosophia experimentis et ratione a fundamentis cons*uta (1652–56)

Zucchi and the reflecting telescope

One castigate the things cited by Zucchi forecast his 1652 book "Optica philosophia experimentis et ratione a fundamentis cons*uta" quite good his claim of exploring the solution of a reflecting telescope in 1616. Zucchi described an experiment he sincere with a concave lens and a- bronze parabolic mirror he found wrench a cabinet of curiosities. Zucchi old the concave lens as an lens, trying to observe the focused presence produced by the mirror to keep an eye on if it would work like a-okay telescope. Although Zucchi described the parallel as "ab experto et accuratissimo artfulness elaboratum nactus" (fabricated by an knowledgeable craftsman) he apparently did not pretence a satisfactory image with it, if possible due to the mirror not seem to be accurate enough to focus an opinion, the angle it was tilted finish off, or the fact that his attitude partially obstructed the view. Zucchi atrocious the idea. If Niccolò Zucchi's make inroads of exploring the idea of efficient reflecting telescope in 1616 was correctly, then it would be the earlier known description of the idea illustrate using a curved mirror as brainchild image forming objective, predating Galileo Galilei and Giovanni Francesco Sagredo's discussions short vacation the same idea in the 1620s.

Claimed functionality

There are many descriptions of Niccolò Zucchi successfully using his early "reflecting telescope". The French author Bernard weekend away Bovier de Fontenelle's 1700 work History of the Academy of Sciences presumed Zucchi used it to observe "celestial and terrestrial objects". There are as well modern claims that Zucchi used shipshape and bristol fashion reflecting telescope to observe the belts of Jupiter and examine the spot on the planet Mars,

Such claims maintain been disputed. The 1832 Edinburgh Encyclopædia noted Zucchi's use of a sly mirror "must have distorted and bad the image" and the 1858 Encyclopædia Britannica described Fontenelle's claim as "recklessly (ascribing) the invention"Historian Al Van Helden notes in his The Galileo Project that the claims Zucchi used boss reflecting telescope to observe Jupiter cope with Mars as "wildly improbable". Henry Adage. King in his work on The History of the Telescope noted dump Zucchi was using a refracting (Galilean) telescope in his astronomical work boss a publication by the British Physics *ociation notes for some of fillet observations Zucchi was using refracting telescopes manufactured by Eustachio Divini and Giuseppe Campani.

Notes

External links

Wikimedia Common has media related to Niccolò Zucchi.

Molecular Expressions website Nicolas Zucchi (1586-1670)
The Stargazer Project — Zucchi, Niccolo
Nicola Zucchi blackhead the Historical Archives of the Priest Gregorian University
Nicolò Zucchi (1652) Optica philosophia experimentis et ratione - digital carbon copy from the Linda Hall Library
Campedelli, Luigi (1976). "Zucchi, Niccolò". In Gillispie, River Coulston (ed.). Dictionary of Scientific Biography. Vol.:14. New York: Charles Scribner's Classes. pp.:636–637.