Giovanni Battista Donati | |
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 Giovanni Battista Donati | |
| Born | (1826-12-16)16 December 1826 |
| Died | 20 September 1873(1873-09-20) (aged 46) |
| Awards | Lalande Prize(1858) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astronomy |
Giovanni Battista DonatiAssociate RAS[1] (Italian pronunciation:[dʒoˈvannibatˈtistadoˈnaːti]; 16 December 1826 – 20 September 1873) was anItalianastronomer.[2]
Donati graduated from the university of his native city,Pisa, and afterwards joined the staff of theObservatory ofFlorence in 1852. He was appointed director in 1864.[3]
Donati was also a pioneer in thespectroscopic study of thestars, theSun, andcomets.[3] He observed the totalsolar eclipse of 18 July 1860, atTorreblanca inSpain, and in the same year began experiments in stellar spectroscopy. In 1862 he published a memoir,Intorno alle strie degli spettri stellari, which indicated the feasibility of a physical classification of the stars.[4]
Donati also used spectroscopy of comets to determine their physical composition, in particular with thecomet 1864b, which spectrum he found containing three emitting lines which would four years later be identified byWilliam Huggins to becarbon. He discovered that the spectrum changed when a comet approached the Sun, and that heating caused it to emit its own light rather than reflected sunlight: he concluded that the composition of comets is, at least in part, gaseous.
Between 1854 and 1864 he discovered six newcomets, including the spectacularComet Donati (C/1858 L1), found in 1858.
An investigation of the greataurora of 4 February 1872 led Donati to refer such phenomena to a distinct branch of science, designated by him "cosmical meteorology".[4] However, he could not follow up on the subject, as he died fromcholera, which he had contracted while attending a scientific convention inVienna, the following year.[2][3]
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Clerke, Agnes Mary (1911). "Donati, Giovanni Battista".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 8 (11th ed.). p. 408.| International | |
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