Giovanni Inghirami
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Giovanni Inghirami (April 16, 1779 — August 15, 1851) was an Italian astronomer. There is a valley on the moon named after him.
[edit] Life
His family produced two other distinguished scholars, Tommaso (1470-1516) (a humanist scholar), and Francesco (1772-1846), (an archaeologist), brother of Giovanni.
His education was received in his native city at the College of Saint Michael. He joined a religious order at the age of seventeen, and later became professor of mathematics and philosophy at Volterra, where one of his pupils was the future Pope Pius IX. In 1805 he travelled to the north of Italy, and was engaged for some months in scientific work at Milan. He was called to Florence to fill the twofold office of professor of mathematics and astronomy at the College of the Scolopi.
His first publications were articles on hydraulcis, statics, and astronomy, astronomical tables, and elementary text-books on mathematics and mathematical geography. In 1830 after observations extending over fourteen years, he published, with the patronage of the Grand Duke Ferdinand III of Tuscany, a "Carta topografica e geometica della Toscana" on the scale of 1:200,000. When the Berlin Academy of Sciences undertook the construction of an exhaustive astronomical atlas, he was assigned a section. His performance of this task won great praise. he became successively provincial and general of his order, but is failing heath and his love for scientific work caused him to resign the latter office, which had required his taking up residence in Rome, and to accept the position of vicar-general. He returned to Florence and, although almost blind for some years, continued his teaching until a few months before his death.
[edit] Notable Scientific literature
- Several articles published in the "Astronomische Nachrichen" and in Zach's "Monatliche Correspondenz zur Beförderung der Erd-u. Himmelskunde"
- "collezione di opusculi e notizie di Scienze" (4 vols., Florence, 1820-30)
- "Tavole Astronomiche universali portatili" (ibid., 1811)
- "Effemeridi di Venere e Giove ad uso di naviganti pel meridiano di Parigi" (ibid., 1821-24).
- This article incorporates text from the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913.
