Research on History of Astronomy

A small group of people in Arcetri does research on:

• Astronomy & Astrophysics in Italy in the XIX century.
• History of the Arcetri Observatory.
• Activity of astronomers related to Arcetri: Giovan Battista Amici, Giovan Battista Donati, Ernst Wilhelm Leberecht Tempel, Antonio e Giorgio Abetti etc. 
• Arcetri's Heritage: instruments, documents & decorations.

Research is carried out maily by studying unpublished documents in several historical archives, including that of the Arcetri Observatory and of the other institutes belonging to the National Institute for Astrophysics.

Pubblications in English (for our publication in Italian, see this page):

• The Ups and Downs (and Ups again!) of Astrophysics in Italy after Secchi, Bianchi, S. (2021)
• The founding of Arcetri Observatory in Florence, Bianchi, S., (2020)
• The origins of Astrophysics in Florence, Bianchi S., Galli D., Gasperini A. (2016)
• Les Observatoires astronomiques en Italie. An 1863 report by Otto Wilhelm Struve. An 1863 report by Otto Wilhelm Struve, Bianchi S., Galli D. (2015)
• "The first Astronomical Observatory of Italy”. The birth of the Arcetri Observatory (1861-1873), Bianchi S., Galli D., Gasperini A. (2012)
• The worldwide impact of Donati's comet on art and society in the mid-19th century, A. Gasperini, D. Galli, L. Nenzi (2011)
• G. V. Schiaparelli and the Arcetri Observatory, S. Bianchi, D. Galli, A. Gasperini (2011)

 Group members: Simone Bianchi, Daniele Galli, Antonella Gasperini.