The Bruce Medalists: Giovanni V. Schiaparelli

<body bgcolor="#9CCEFF"> <font size="+5"><b><a href="../Intro.html" target="main"><font color="#CC6600">The Bruce Medalists</font></a></b></font> <p>   </p> <table width="100%" cellspacing="2" cellpadding="0" > <tr><td width = "33%"> </td> <td width = "34%" align="center"><a href="schiaparelli.jpg"><img src="schiaparelliSml.jpg" alt="" height="109" width="91" border="2"></a></td> <td width="33%" valign="middle"><font size="-2">Photo courtesy Yerkes Observatory, University of Chicago</font></td><td> </td></tr> <tr><td colspan="3" align="center"><font size="+2"><b><font color="#CC6600">Giovanni Virginio Schiaparelli</font></b></font></td> <tr><td><b>14 March 1835</b></td> <td align="center"><b>1902 Bruce Medalist</b></td> <td align=right><b>4 July 1910</b></td> </tr> </table> <p>Giovanni Schiaparelli studied hydraulic engineering and civil architecture at the <b><a href="http://www.to.astro.it/en/info/history.html">University of Turin</a></b> and then astronomy at the observatories at <b><a href="http://www.be.schule.de/schulen/wfs/pages/hist/WFS-History.html">Berlin</a></b> and <b><a href="http://www.gao.spb.ru/english/history/index.html">Pulkovo</a></b>. He worked at the <b><a href="http://www.brera.mi.astro.it/docM/history.html">Brera Observatory</a> </b> in Milan for forty years, all but two as director. Although a major observer of double stars, he is best known for his observations of solar system objects. He made extensive studies, both observational and theoretical, of <b><a href="http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~portwin/ASTRA/Astronomy/comets.html">comets</a></b>, determining from the shapes of their tails that there was a repulsive force from the sun. He showed that Venus and Mercury rotate very slowly, although he concluded, erroneously, that they were in synchronous rotation. He explained the regular meteor showers as the result of the dissolution of comets and proved it for the Perseids. Schiaparelli <b><a href="http://www.brera.mi.astro.it/docM/hist03.html">observed Mars</a></b> over seven oppositions and named the <b><a href="http://www.uapress.arizona.edu/onlinebks/mars/chap05.htm">“seas” and “continents”</a></b>. His observations of <cite>canali,</cite> mistranslated as <cite>canals,</cite> stimulated <b><a href="http://www.lowell.edu/AboutLowell/plowell.html">Percival Lowell</a></b> to found his Arizona <b><a href="http://www.lowell.edu/AboutLowell/history.html">observatory</a></b> and search for <b><a href="http://www.wanderer.org/references/lowell/Mars/">life on Mars</a></b>. Schiaparelli also observed the other planets. Expert in both ancient and modern languages as well as religions, he took up the history of ancient astronomy after retiring from observing.</p> <p> <b><font size="+1"><font color="#CC6600">Presentation of Bruce medal</font></FONT></b><br> Dolbeer, John, <a href="http://adsbit.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-iarticle_query?1902PASP...14...37D"><i>PASP</i> <b>14</b>, 37-42 (1902)</a>. </p> <p> <b><font size="+1"><font color="#CC6600">Other awards</font></FONT></b><br> <a href="http://www.academie-sciences.fr/">French Academy of Sciences</a>, Lalande Prize<br> Government of Germany, <a href="http://www.pourlemerite.org/peace/peace.php">Order Pour le Merite for Arts and Sciences</a>, 1895.<br> Royal Astronomical Society, <a href="http://www.ras.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=244&Itemid=104">Gold Medal</a>, 1872.<br> </p> <p> <b><font size="+1"><font color="#CC6600">Biographical materials</font></FONT></b><br> <i>All'astronomo G.V. Schiaparelli: omaggio 30 giugno 1860 - 30 giugno 1900</i> (M. Bassani, Milano, 1900). This book includes a biblography of his writings to 1900.<br> Abetti, Giorgio, <i>Dictionary of Scientific Biography </i><b>12</b>, 159-62.<br> Istituto lombardo-acc. scienze lettere, Milano & Osservatorio astronomico di Brera, Milano, <i>Atti del Convegno per le celebrazioni del cinquantenario della morte di G. V. Schiaparelli,</i> (Milano, 1960).<br> Boccardi, Jean, “La Commémoration de Jean Schiparelli,”<i>Revue Général des Sciences Pures et Appliquées</i> <b>46</b>, 379-82 (1935).<br> Botta,Luigi, <a href="http://digilander.iol.it/bottaluigi/personaggi/schiaparelli.html"> l'Astronomo Giovanni Virginio Schiaparelli</a> [includes extensive list of links, in Italian]<br> Eoublet, E., “Le Centenaire de Giovanni Schiaparelli,” <i>Ciel et Terre</i> <b>52</b>, 50; <b>52</b>, 52; and <b>52</b>, 120 (1936).<br> Gabba, Luigi, “Giovanni Schiaparelli e la storia dell’astronomia,” <i>Rendic. Seminar, Mat. Fis. Milano</i> <b>2</b>, 121-38 (1928).<br> Mazzucato, Michele T., “Giovanni Virginio Schiaparelli (1835-1910): l’ultimo, in ordine di tempo, dei grandi astronomi italiani del XIX secolo,” <i>Atti della Fondazione Giorgio Ronchi</i> <b>57</b>, 6, 1057-67 (2002).<br> Panaino, Antonio & Guido Pellegini, eds., <i>Giovanni Schiaparelli: Storico della Astronomia e Uomo di Cultura. Atti del Seminario di Studi Organizzato dall’Instituto Italiano per l’Africa e l’Oriente e dall’Instituto di Fisica Generale Applicata dell’Università degli Studi di Milano,</i> (Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera, Milano, 1999).<br>Tenn, Joseph S., “Giovanni Schiaparelli: The Fourth Bruce Medalist,” <a href="SchiaparelliBio.pdf"><cite>Mercury</cite><b> 19</b>, 4, 116 (1990)</a>.<br> Zagar, Francesco, “Giovanni Schiaparelli nel Cinquantenario Della Morte ,” <i>Contributi dell'Osservatorio Astronomico di Milano-Merate.</i> Nuova serie, n. 161 (Prem. Tipografia Succ., Milano, 1960). <br> </p> <p> <b><font size="+1"><font color="#CC6600">Obituaries</font></FONT></b><br> Abetti, A. & G. , <a href="http://adsbit.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-iarticle_query?bibcode=1910ApJ....32..313A"><i>Ap.J.</i> <b>32</b>, 313-19 (1910)</a>.<br> <a href="../Aitken/">Aitken, Robert G</a>., <a href="http://adsbit.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-iarticle_query?1910PASP...22..164A"><i>PASP</i> <b>22</b>, 164-65 (1910)</a>. <br> Bonacini, Carlo, <i>Commemorazione Di Giovanni Schiaparelli</i> (Società Tipografica Modenese, Modena, 1911).<br> Celoria, Giovanni, <i>Giovanni Schiaparelli : brevi note commemorative</i> (Tipo-Lit. Rebeschini di Turati, Milano, 1910).<br> Celoria, Giovanni, <i>Scientia Rivista di Scienza</i> <b>9</b>, 169-185 (1911).<br> K[nobel], E. B., <a href="http://adsbit.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-iarticle_query?bibcode=1911MNRAS..71..282."><i>MNRAS</i> <b>71</b>, 282-87 (1911)</a>.<br> Sampson, R.A, <i>Proceedings of the Royal Society A</i> <b>86</b>, 37-38 (1911-12).<br> <b><a href="http://www.astro.uni-bonn.de/~pbrosche/persons/obit/obit_sa.html">More obituaries</a></b><br> </p> <p> <b><font size="+1"><font color="#CC6600">Portraits</font></FONT></b><br> <a href="http://www.astrodictionary.chevinside.com/Mercury/Schiaparelli.htm">Astrodictionary</a><br> <a href="http://digilander.iol.it/bottaluigi/personaggi/schiaparelli.html">Botta,Luigi, l'Astronomo Giovanni Virginio Schiaparelli</a> (several)<br> <a href="http://www.brera.mi.astro.it/docM/hist03.html">Brera Observatory</a><br> <a href="http://www.windows.ucar.edu/cgi-bin/tour.cgi?link=/people/enlightenment/schiaparelli.html&frp=/windows3.html&fr=f&sw=false&art=ok&cdp=/windows3.html&cd=false&edu=high">University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, Windows to the Universe</a><br> Lombry, Thierry, <a href="http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/sysol-mars5.htm">Luxorion</a><br> <a href="http://www.rom.gr/rom3/mars1/images/his15.jpg">Internet rom Multimedia</a><br> </p> <p> <b><font size="+1"><font color="#CC6600">Named after him</font></FONT></b><br> <a href="http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/">Lunar crater Schiaparelli</a><br> <a href="http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/">Martian crater Schiaparelli</a><br> <a href="http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/">Mercurian ridge Schiaparelli</a><br> <a href="http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/lists/MPNames.html#S">Minor Planet #4062 Schiaparelli</a><br> <a href="http://digilander.libero.it/schiaparelli/">Istituto Tecnico Commerciale Statale e P.A.C.L.E. Giovanni Schiaparelli</a><br> <a href="http://www.gruppogrottegallarate.it/schiaparelli_storia.htm">Schiaparelli Tower</a><br> <a href="http://www.gruppogrottegallarate.it/schiaparelli_storia.htm">La Grotta Schiaparelli (Schiaparelli Cave)</a><br> <a href="http://www.astrogeo.va.it/astronom/pianeti/marte/schiap.htm">Società Astronomica G.V.Schiaparelli</a> </p> <p> <b><font size="+1"><a href="SchiaparelliRefs.html" target="_self">More references</a></font></b> </p> <p> <center><b><a href="../index.html" target="main">The Bruce Medalists</a></b></center> </p> <p> <table width="100%"> <tr> <td valign=TOP><font size="-1">Please send comments, additions, corrections, and questions to<br> <a href="MAILTO:joe.tenn@sonoma.edu"> joe.tenn@sonoma.edu</a><br></font></td> <td align=RIGHT valign=TOP><font size="-1"><i> <a href="http://www.phys-astro.sonoma.edu/people/faculty/tenn/">JST</a> </i><br> <a href="http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~mgk25/iso-time.html">2006-12-05</a></font></td> </tr> </table> </p> </body>