L'affermazione selenografica di Giovan Battista Riccioli, tra nomenclature celesti e cartografie planetarie
Date Issued
2021
Author(s)
Abstract
Since ancient times, the stars visible to the naked eye were grouped into constellations. The constellations and the planets, moving among them, received a name to be distinguished. This nomenclature was then consolidated among peoples and over the centuries. When Galileo Galilei turned his telescope to the sky in the fall of 1609, it became immediately clear that celestial objects were more numerous and complex than could ever have been expected, and that new names and new maps would soon be needed.
The Moon was the first celestial body that revealed its complex nature.
Many 17th century astronomers devoted themselves to selenography, such
as Michel Florent van Langren (1600-1675) or Johannes Hevelius (1611-
1687), who developed their own nomenclature. However, the one proposed
by Giovanni Battista Riccioli (1598-1671) in the Almagestum novum proved
successful compared to the others. He associated the various lunar spots
with the names of famous astronomers and savants of ancient and
contemporary times. In 1932 the International Astronomical Union chose
Riccioli’s hypothesis as the starting point for the modern nomenclature of
the Moon.
Coverage
Società italiana degli storici della fisica e dell'astronomia : atti del XL Convegno annuale = proceedings of the 40th Annual Conference
All editors
Gambaro, Ivana; Bevilacqua, Fabio
Start page
57
Conferenece
Atti del XL Convegno Nazionale annuale della Società Italiana degli Storici della Fisica e dell’Astronomia (SISFA)
Conferenece place
Held online
Conferenece date
September 8-10, 2020
Rights
open.access
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2021_SISFA_Affermazione-selenografica-Riccioli.pdf
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