Padua
in the Exploration of the Universe
Cesare Barbieri
Department of Astronomy
University of Padua
23 September 1999
Conference held on the occasion of the 31-st
Annual Meeting of the Division for Planetary
Sciences of the American Astronomical Society
Introduction
The aim of this conference is to
provide a short history of the
astronomical studies in Padua, and
a brief (and necessarily incomplete)
account of the present situation and
foreseeable developments. I wish to
thank the many colleagues who
helped with the documentation.
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
Index
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A brief history up to 1950
The modern epoch: Giuseppe Colombo,
Leonida Rosino , Nicolo’ Dallaporta
Italy joins ESA and ESO
Observations, theories, space missions
Cerenkov light, gravitational waves
A panoramic on the future
Conclusions
To know more
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
Padua:
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Old Padua
XVII Century
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Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
City
University, Astronomical
Observatory, Research Institutes
Accademia de’ Ricovrati (1599) 
Accademia Galileiana Patavina di
Scienze Lettere e Arti
Bishops, Colleges
…...
A Brief History - 1
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Pietro d’Abano (c. 1250 - c.1315)
teaching of the ptolemaic system
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Giovanni Dondi dall’Orologio
(1318 - 1389)
the astrarium: a mechanical model of the
ptolemaic system
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
A Brief History - 2
Galileo Galilei in Padua
(1592 - 1610)
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
A Brief History - 3
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L’Accademia de’ Ricovrati (1599)
(Accademia Galileiana Patavina di
Scienze Lettere e Arti)
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Geminiano Montanari (1633 - 1687)
Comet Halley
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St. Gregorio Barbarigo (1625 - 1697)
the professors
the Specola of the Seminario
the printing house
the laboratory of physics
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
A Brief History - 4
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Giuseppe Toaldo (1719 -1797)
the Specola (decree of the Republic of Venice,
1761), meteorology, (extra-solar planets)
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Giovanni Santini (1787 - 1877)
cometary orbits, Cataloghi Padovani of stellar
positions, Lezioni of Astronomy and Optics
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Giuseppe Lorenzoni (1843 - 1914)
astronomical photometry and spectroscopy,
geodesy
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
The Specola of Padua
(1767)
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
A Brief History - 5
The Mathematicians
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Gregorio Ricci Curbastro (1853 - 1925)
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Tullio Levi Civita (1873 - 1941)
Tensor Calculus and General Relativity
Mechanics
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
A Brief History - 6
Bruno Rossi (1905 - 1993)
Antonio Rostagni (1904-1988)
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Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
The Institute of Physics
(1938)
The East - West asymmetry
of cosmic rays
Cosmic rays observations
using balloons
A Brief History - 7
Giovanni Silva (1882 - 1957)
The Astrophysical Observatory of Asiago
(1942)
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
A Brief History - 8
Geodetic Astronomy
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G. Ciscato
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E. Soler,
Rector
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
the polar motion and the
International Latitude
Service
the contribution to the
Carloforte station (founded
in 1899): Ciscato, Bianchi
Soler, Boaga, Tomelleri
The Modern Epoch
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Giuseppe Colombo
Leonida Rosino
Nicolo’ Dallaporta
Italy joins the European Space Agency
and the European Southern Observatory
The space telescopes, the Center for
Space Activities (CISAS)
Cerenkov light and gravitational Waves
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
Giuseppe Colombo
(1920 - 1984)
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Celestial Mechanics, rotation of
Mercury, space navigation
the GIOTTO mission and the
InterAgency Consultative Group
space geodesy
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
Leonida Rosino (1915 - 1997)
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The Schmidt telescopes and the
Cima Ekar Observatory
variable stars, Novae and
Supernovae
open and globular clusters
diffuse and planetary nebulae
the Corso di Laurea in Astronomy
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
Nicolo’ Dallaporta
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Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
Evolution of the Solar
System, Stars and Galaxies
General Relativity
Theoretical Cosmology
The Anthropic Principle
Science, Metaphysics, Faith
Telescopes and their
Instrumentation,
Observations, Theories and Models,
Space Missions
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
The Observing Station L. Rosino
at Cima Ekar
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
The 3.5 m National Telescope Galileo
(TNG): Active Optics
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
The TNG - Adaptive Optics
Speckle mode
K-band, FWHM = 0”.35
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
Detectors, Instrumentation,
Controls, Data Archives
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From the first CCD for the 182
cm (1984) to the OIG TNG (1998)
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Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
Image Intensifiers, photon counters, solid
state devices, …
OIG (the visual camera for the TNG), SARG
(the high resolution spectrograph for the
TNG)
Data archives: Guide Star Catalogue II, ...
SARG and a first comparison spectrum
Solar System - 1
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Searching for meteorites
in Antarctica
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Meteorites
Lunar Sodium
Asteroids and Comets
Iron meteorite
Acqueous Alteration
in the spectra of asteroids
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
H2O+ in Kohoutek comet
Solar System - 2
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Na cloud around Io
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Sodium in the Giovian system
and in comets
Pluto
Na tail in comet Hale-Bopp
Pluto - Astrometry and HST-FOC image
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
Solar System - 3 Formation
models of planetesimal accumulation and
formation of planetary embryos in the terrestrial
region
at 105 years
at 106 years
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
Extra-solar Planets,
Low Mass Stars
dynamical model
of extra- solar planets
on close orbits
formation of planets
around binary stars
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
Gliese 623 - HST FOC
Stellar Evolution - 1
The final destiny of stars
depends on the initial mass of
the central core
White Dwarfs
Abscissa: central temperature
Ordinate: density
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
Supernovae
Stellar Evolution - 2
Open Clusters
Evolution of the stars in an open
cluster including the so-called
overshooting process; the cluster turns
out to be older than in previous theories.
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
Globular Clusters - 1
NGC 6397: the cluster with the
smallest distance modulus
The proper motions measured with HST permit to isolate the
sequence of stars down to masses smaller than 0.1 Mo , namely
down to the limit of the hydrogen burning reactions.
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
Globular Clusters - 2
Pal 1: the youngest globular
cluster in the Milky Way (about
8 billion years)
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
Globular Clusters - 3
The Bulge-halo Connexion
An H-R diagram in the near IR of
the galactic bulge,
down to stars of mass 0.15 Mo
The ages of the bulge and of the halo,
both very old systems
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
Planetary Nebulae
M 57 with OIG at the
TNG
H
O III
3D Tomography in different spectral lines
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
N II
Variable Stars
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Flare stars, binaries
Cataclismic variables, evolution
and connexion with solar actvity
Simbiotic stars
Flare in the
Pleiades
M57 - TNG
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
Simbiotic stars
Solar stars
in nova GK Persei
Novae
FH Ser 1970 25 years
after the explosion
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Recurrent Nova RS Oph
Novae as extra-galactic distance
indicators: absolute magnitude as
function of the decline rate.
Dashed line: theoretical track as
function of the mass of the White Dwarf.
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
In the Milky Way
In M31 and in M33
Supernovae -1
Discovery and classification
SN 19991 - The discovery
with OIG-TNG
The light-curve of SN-I
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
The VST, almost hidden among the
4 VLT, for the discovery of SNs
Supernovae - 2
Search of SNs Associated to Gamma
Bursts
Supernova 1998bw associated to the Gamma Burst GRB 980425
The discovery, the light curve, the spectum
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
Supernovae - 3
The High Redshift SNs
Discovery and spectum
of a high redshift SN
Hubble diagram for
nearby and distant SNs
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
Distant SNs and the structure of
the Universe, almost surely of
low density, and in perennial
expansion probably with a
positive acceleration
Relativistic Astrophysics - 1
SS 433
Pulsar in the Crab
Pulsar in the Crab
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
Relativistic Astrophysics - 2
The Structure of a Black Hole
NGC 4261
from ground
from HST
relativistic model of an
accretion disc
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
Galaxies - 1
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Morphology, rotation curves, dark
mass
Theoretical models of elliptical
galaxies
Growth of the apparent dimensions of M87
from 1932 to 1969 thanks to the improvements
in image acquisition and analysis
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
Tidal Effect
of a dark halo
Galaxies - 2
NGC 5128
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Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
Elliptical galaxies: halos,
anisotropies, triaxiality
Counter-rotation between gas
and stars
Stellar Populations in the
Galaxies of the Local Group
H-R diagram of a dwarf galaxy
formed by stars of successive
generations, of ages varying from
108 to 1.3x1010 years
Phoenix, a nearby galaxy resolved
in stars: the blue ones are young stars
overimposed to an older population
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
Theoretical Synthesis of
Spectra of Normal Galaxies
Comparison between observations
(upper lines) and theory (lower lines)
Ellipticals
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
Spirals Sa
Spirals Sc
Active Galaxies: the Nuclear Region
Optical jet of the Radiogalaxy (also a BL Lac)
Pks 0521-365 from ground and space
a) jet plus galaxy
b) only jet
compact emission at 0”.3
ESO -NTT
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
HST
NGC 6240: An Active Galaxy
with Violent Star Formation
4m Mayall
HST-FOC
Interaction among two galaxies. The HST image shows two nuclei
resolved in a series of structures hosting an intense and rapid
stellar formation.
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
Two Clusters of Galaxies at an
Intermediate Redshift
Calibration of the extragalactic distance scale
from the surface brightness of the clusters of galaxies
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
Quasars
Optical variability of 3C 345
The luminosity function
of bright QSOs
The Ly-alpha forest
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
The Formation of Cosmic
Structures
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Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
Numerical Simulation of a
large cluster of galaxies
having a mass of 1015
Mo/H and a scale of 6
Megaparsec, made with a
parallel
supercomputer
Cray T3E
The Sunyaev-Zeldovich Effect
and the Hubble Constant H0
Direct measurement of the distance scale in the Universe
Comparison among the S-Z
isophotes and the X-ray surface
brightness
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
Hubble diagram for a series of
clusters of galaxies from the
comparison of X-ray data and
measures of the S-Z effect
The Spectrum of the Extragalactic
Background in the Far InfraRed
The background radiation
between 10 and 1000
micron is dominated by a
population of galaxies
strongly evolving with the
cosmic time. Therefore
the vision in the optical
band of the primordial
Universe
is
severely
limited.
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
The European Giotto Mission
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Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
The Halley Multicolour
Camera
The nucleus of
Halley’s comet
The European Hipparcos Mission:
Astrometry at the Milliarcsec level
The preparatory colloquia
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
The scientific results: calibration
of the RR Lyrae magnitudes
UVCS on the Solar
Heliospheric Observatory
The instrument
The solar corona
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
HASI: the Instrument for
Titan’s Atmospheric Structure
In flight on the Huygens probe of the Cassini
spacecraft toward Saturn and Titan
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
Cerenkov Light and
Gravitational Waves
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Cosmic Rays, CLUE and
future expansions
Gravitational Waves
CLUE (Roque)
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
Auriga (Legnaro)
Projects for the Future
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Wide field prime focus for the telescopes VST, LBT
and TNG
The European missions Rosetta, Mars Express,
FIRST/Planck
Earth Surveys from space
and (hopefully):
astronomical instruments on the International
Space Station
Missions to Mars e Mercury
The European Astrometry Mission Gaia
Astrobiology
The UltraLarge Telescopes
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
The Prime Focus for the Large
Binocular Telescope
The optical design
The mechanical structure
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
The Near-IR Prime Focus of the TNG
Spectral range from 1.0 to 2.5 micrometres with a HgCdTe sensor
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
The European Mission Rosetta
(2003-2013)
Encounters with the asteroids
Otawara and Siwa, and orbit
around Comet P/Wirtanen
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
Wide Angle Camera
The European Mission Mars
Express (2003)
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The Planetary Fourier Spectrometer (PFS)
for the study of the atmosphere and of the
soil of Mars
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
The European Mission
FIRST/Planck (2007)
from COBE
to
Planck
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
GAIA - The Future Mission for
Microarcsec Astrometry
Spectroscopy in the nearIR
in preparation of the
mission
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
Public Outreach
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Catch the Stars in the Net!
www.pd.astro.it/stelle.html
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Voyage in the Cosmos
(the exibition of 1997, in the Internet
and a CD-Rom)
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Impacts
(in the Internet since 1999)
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
Exhibitions
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Halley and Giotto (1985 - 1986)
From Galileo to GALILEO (1996)
That Night on the Moon (1999)
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
Conclusions
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High visibility in the world-wide
community
Possible future expansions:
- the new frame of the Istituto Nazionale di
Astrofisica (INAF)
- consolidation of the structure of Space
Activities
Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
To Know More
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Cesare Barbieri, 23 September 1999
www.pd.astro.it
cisas.unipd.it
www.dei.unipd.it
www.infn.it