Angelo Secchi was an Italian Catholic priest, astronomer from the Italian region of Emilia.
18 Facts About Angelo Secchi
2.
Angelo Secchi was director of the observatory at the Pontifical Gregorian University for 28 years.
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Angelo Secchi was a pioneer in astronomical spectroscopy, and was one of the first scientists to state authoritatively that the Sun is a star.
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Angelo Secchi continued his studies at the Roman College, and demonstrated great scientific ability.
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Angelo Secchi moved on to the United States, where he taught for a time at Georgetown University in Washington, DC Angelo Secchi took his doctoral examination in theology there.
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Angelo Secchi studied with Maury and corresponded with him for many years.
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Angelo Secchi was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1860.
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Angelo Secchi's position was challenged after 1870, when the remnant of the Papal States around Rome was taken over by the Kingdom of Italy.
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Angelo Secchi was offered important scientific positions and political dignities by the government, but refused to pledge allegiance to the Kingdom in place of the Pope.
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Angelo Secchi was especially interested in the Sun, which he observed continually throughout his career.
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Angelo Secchi showed that certain absorption lines in the spectrum of the Sun were caused by absorption in the Earth's atmosphere.
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Angelo Secchi was active in oceanography, meteorology, and physics, as well as astronomy.
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Angelo Secchi invented the Secchi disk, which is used to measure water transparency in oceans, lakes and fish farms.
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Angelo Secchi studied the climate of Rome and invented a "Meteorograph" for the convenient recording of several categories of weather data.
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Angelo Secchi studied the aurora borealis, the effects of lightning, and the cause of hail.
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Angelo Secchi organized the systematic monitoring of the Earth's magnetic field, and in 1858 established a magnetic observatory in Rome.
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Angelo Secchi performed related technical works for the Papal government, such as overseeing placement of sundials and repair or installation of municipal water systems.
18.
Angelo Secchi supervised construction of lighthouses for the ports of the Papal States.