Pietro Angelo Secchi
| Angelo Secchi | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
29 June 1818 Reggio Emilia |
| Died | 26 February 1878 (aged 59) |
| Residence | Rome |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Fields | Astronomy |
| Institutions | Observatory of the Roman College |
| Notable awards | Légion d'honneur, France |
Fr. Pietro Angelo Secchi SJ (Italian pronunciation: [ˈpjɛːtro ˈandʒelo ˈsekki]; 29 June 1818 – 26 February 1878) was an Italian astronomer. He was Director of the Observatory at the Pontifical Gregorian University (then called the Roman College) for 28 years. He was a pioneer in astronomical spectroscopy, and was one of the first scientists to state authoritatively that the Sun is a star.
Secchi was born in Reggio Emilia, where he studied at the Jesuit gymnasium. At the age of 16, he entered the Jesuit Order in Rome. He continued his studies at the Roman College, and demonstrated great scientific ability. In 1839, he was appointed tutor of mathematics and physics at the College. In 1841, he became Professor of Physics at the Jesuit College in Loreto. In 1844, he began theological studies in Rome, and was ordained a priest on 12 September 1847. In 1848, due to the Roman Revolution, the Jesuits had to leave Rome. Fr. Secchi spent the next two years in the United Kingdom at Stonyhurst College, and the United States, where he taught for a time at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. He also took his doctoral examination in theology there.
During his stay in America, he met Commander Matthew Fontaine Maury, the first Director of the United States Naval Observatory in Washington. He studied with Maury and corresponded with him for many years.
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