Overview
Winner of the 2021 Donald E. Osterbrock Book Prize for Historical Astronomy In Decoding the Stars, Ileana Chinnici offers an account of the life of the Jesuit scientist Angelo Secchi (1818-1878). In addition to providing an invaluable account of Secchi's life and work-something that has been sorely lacking in the English-language scholarship-this biography will be especially stimulating for those interested in the evolution of astrophysics as a discipline from the nineteenth century onward. Despite his eclecticism, reminiscent of the natural philosophers of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Secchi was in many ways a very modern scientist: open to innovation and cooperation, and a promoter of popularization and citizen science. Secchi also appears fully inserted in the cultural context of his time: he participated in philosophical and scientific debates, spread new theories and ideas, but also suffered the consequences of political events that marked those years and impacted on his life and activities.
Full Product Details
Author: Ileana Chinnici
Publisher: Brill
Imprint: Brill
Edition: XVIII, 356 Pp. ed.
Volume: 16
Weight: 0.738kg
ISBN: 9789004387294
ISBN 10: 9004387293
Pages: 368
Publication Date: 11 July 2019
Audience:
General/trade
,
Professional and scholarly
,
General
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Available To Order
We have confirmation that this item is in stock with the supplier. It will be ordered in for you and dispatched immediately.
Reviews
Excellent biography [...] Historians of science, whatever their national origin, should become familiar with the achievements of Father Secchi. Naomi Pasachoff, Williams College. In: Metascience, Vol. 29, No. 1 (March 2020), pp. 77-80 (2020). [This] will undoubtedly be the standard work on this remarkable Jesuit astronomer. Wayne Orchiston, National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand, and Centre for Astrophysics, University of Southern Queensland. In: Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, Vol. 23, No. 1 (April 2020), pp. 227-228. This excellent book not only presents Secchi's scientific contributions and his personality but also situates him in the fascinating mix of science, politics and society of the Italian late nineteenth century. Augustin Udias, Universidad Complutense de Madrid. In: Journal for the History of Astronomy, Vol. 52, No. 1 (2021), pp. 111-112.
Excellent biography [...] Historians of science, whatever their national origin, should become familiar with the achievements of Father Secchi. Naomi Pasachoff, Williams College. In: Metascience, Vol. 29, No. 1 (March 2020), pp. 77-80 (2020). [This] will undoubtedly be the standard work on this remarkable Jesuit astronomer. Wayne Orchiston, National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand, and Centre for Astrophysics, University of Southern Queensland. In: Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, Vol. 23, No. 1 (April 2020), pp. 227-228.
Excellent biography [...] Historians of science, whatever their national origin, should become familiar with the achievements of Father Secchi. Naomi Pasachoff, Williams College. In: Metascience, 14 October 2019. DOI https://doi.org/10.1007/s11016-019-00470-6.
Author Information
Ileana Chinnici is an astronomer at the INAF-Palermo Astronomical Observatory and works in the field of the history of astrophysics. She has published books and articles in international journals, exploring historical archives related to scientific projects and scientists of the nineteenth century.
