Student Education Repository (மாணவர்கள் கல்விக் களஞ்சியம்): Today (June 25, 1671) is the Memorial Day of the Giovanni Battista Riccioli, who studied the nature of the moon.

Friday, June 25, 2021

Today (June 25, 1671) is the Memorial Day of the Giovanni Battista Riccioli, who studied the nature of the moon.

Today (June 25, 1671) is the Memorial Day of Giovanni Battista Riccioli, who studied the nature of the moon.

Giovanni Battista Riccioli was born on 17 April 1598 in Ferrara, Italy. He entered the Society of Jesus on October 6, 1614. After completing his new conclusion, he began studying humanities in 1616. He continued those studies, first in Ferrara and later in Piacenza. From 1620 to 1628 he studied philosophy and theology at the Burmese College. The Burmese Jesuits have developed a strong experimental program similar to falling bodies. Giuseppe Biancani, one of the most famous Italian Jesuits of the time, taught in Burma when Riccioli arrived. Biancani accepted new astronomical concepts such as the existence of lunar mountains and the fluidity of the sky. Jesuit also collaborated with astronomer Christoph Schneider on sunlight observations. Riccioli mentions him with gratitude and admiration.

In 1628 Riccioli's explorations were completed and he sought missionary work. But that request was rejected. Instead, he was assigned to teach in Burma. There he taught logic, physics, and metaphysics from 1629 to 1632. Also engaged in some experiments with falling bodies and pendulums. In 1632 he became a member of a group accused of creating younger Jesuits. He spent the 1633-1634 academic year in Mandua. There he collaborated with Niccolo Capio on further pendulum studies. In 1635 he returned to Burma. There he taught theology. He also made his first important observation about the moon. In 1636 he was sent to Bologna to serve as a professor of theology.

Riccioli described himself as a theologian. But he has been strong and consistently interested in astronomy since his student days studying under Bianconi. He said many Jesuits were theologians. But some astronomers said that once an astronomical interest arose in him, it could never be turned off. So he was more involved in astronomy than in theology. Eventually, his superiors in the Jesuit line officially appointed him to the task of astronomical research. However, he also continued to write about theology.

Riccioli built an astronomical laboratory at St. Lucia College in Bologna. It is equipped with several instruments for astronomical observations, including telescopes, quadrupeds, sextants, and other traditional instruments. In his research, Riccioli dealt not only with astronomy, but also with physics, arithmetic, geometry, optics, gnomonics, geography, and chronology. He collaborated with other Jesuits, especially in Bologna, including Francesco Maria Grimaldi. He also exchanged numerous letters with others who shared his interests, including Havelius, Huygens, Cassini, and Kircher.

Louis XIV presented him with a gift in recognition of his actions and their relevance to contemporary culture. Riccioli continued to publish both astronomy and theology until his death. Who studied the properties of the moon. Named for the mountain and many areas found on the moon. Francisco, along with Maria Grimaldi, found that the distance between a pendulum and falling objects is directly proportional to the class of time. The Italian astronomer Giovanni Battista Riccioli passed away on June 25, 1671, in Bologna at the age of 73.

Source By: Wikipedia

Information: Ramesh, Assistant Professor of Physics, Nehru Memorial College, Puthanampatti, Trichy.