Guido Horn d’Arturo’s observations of total solar eclipses
Elisabetta Rossi (SMA (University Museum Newtork) and DIFA, University of Bologna)
Tuesday 14/04/2026 @ 14:00, Sala Antonio Sollima (IV piano Battiferro)
This talk presents Guido Horn d’Arturo (1879-1967) as a central figure in twentieth-century Italian astronomy, highlighting his role as director of the Bologna Astronomical Observatory from the 1920s onward and his early development of segmented mirrors—an idea that became foundational for modern reflecting telescope technologies. Particular attention is devoted to his observations of total solar eclipses, approached as experimental settings in which instruments and practices were tested under exceptional conditions. The 1926 scientific expedition to Oltregiuba (in present-day Somalia) is discussed in contrast with the different observational approach developed a decade later for the observations carried out on the Attica Peninsula.