Astronomical Observatory of Lisbon
Encyclopedia
The Astronomical Observatory of Lisbon (Observatório Astronómico de Lisboa) is located in "Alcântara - Tapada da Ajuda", in the city of Lisbon
. It’s an institution that has been recognized internationally for the quality of its work in the field of positioning astronomy
, since the 19th century.
In 1992, this institution came to depend on the University of Lisbon and in 1995 it was included in the Science Faculty of the University of Lisbon, with its operations directed towards research and scientific and historical dissemination.
, and concern about the exact mapping of the sky
and measuring the size of the universe
. It was then suggested that it would be built in Lisbon, a place across the European continent where it was possible to make observations of that star of Argelander using a zenithal telescope. In order to do so, it was necessary to build a new observatory
where you could install the appropriate equipment. This reality was possible due to the support of King D. Pedro V and other personalities of political life, then.
The plant of the building, executed by the French architect Jean Colson, who was then the most distinguished foreign architect living in Lisbon, was inspired by the building of the Russian Observatory in Pulkova. Wilhelm Struve, director of the Pulkova and a famous astronomer, offered his services to the Portuguese government and was considered the main adviser who played a very important role, not only in the choice of equipment, but also in the orientation of astronomer
Frederico Augusto Oom, who was given a rough training stage of 5 years. This Lieutenant of the Navy and Hydrographer Engineer, who became the first director of the Royal Astronomical Observatory of Lisbon, had a very important role in the whole foundation of this building. After the financial support and commitment that King D. Pedro V gave to this project, its construction started on the 11th March 1861, under the rule of King D. Luis I, who also contributed to funding the institution, withdrawing money from his personal budget. The edification only ended in 1867, the year in which astronomical observations began.
The Observatory was installed in Ajuda, on land readily offered by the monarch, in the king’s hunting grounds. Since its creation in the nineteenth century and during much of the twentieth century, the Astronomical Observatory of Lisbon has stood out for its excellent work in Astrometry. It has participated in several international campaigns, in particular the international campaign in 1900-1901 to improve the value of the AU
(astronomical unit) using the opposition of the recently found asteroid Eros. It also had the contribution of its director at the time, Campos Rodrigues, and other local astronomers, to produce a high-quality catalogue of reference stars. The results were so good that the AOL was the only observatory
contributing with data and weight to all the 3800 observations which were used to calculate the catalogue. Campos Rodrigues received the Valz prize in 1904 from the French Academy of Sciences
for the excellence of the work that was being done at Lisbon.
there are three rooms of astronomical observations, properly equipped with instruments (the best of the time) and windows of observation. They are in the north, east and west wings of the central building.
It is the central building of the Astronomical Observatory of Lisbon, a circular room (whose vault is richly worked) which supports the weight of the large equatorial refractor on 8 columns of great size. In arches between the columns the many pendulum clock
s are arranged, those which during this century of existence have been measuring the time. At the foot of large windows overlooking the Tapada, there are wide tables on which the astronomers developed their research work.
There are also the spacious halls of communication that were used at the time for lessons, for making the calculations, and so on. Today these rooms are used for the workshops of activities of education and support to schools.
The three observation rooms of the building are very spacious and very high, lined with wood, leaving a free space between the coating and the walls of masonry and roofing. This space communicates with the outside world through gaps that are constantly open. There are roofs of rooms in stacks of circulation, and this permanent ventilation is there in order to establish the balance of air temperature
in the rooms and beyond, as it is convenient to the accuracy of observations. The coating is made of wood to present an excellent thermal behaviour, apart from being a 100% ecological product, which provides the user with a friendlier environment compared to other substitute materials. The rooms provide openings in the side walls and in the ceiling, through doors, thanks to an ingenious mechanism. Once the doors open once they give you an insight to the sky, according to the meridian
of Lisbon, from north to south.
is accomplished through guided tours to the Museum of AOL. At the beginning of the visit, visitors are invited to attend an oral presentation visually sustained by powerpoint slides. A presentation is made of the evolution of astronomy since the 19th century until now, marking the substantial difference to advances that have occurred. Alongside the exhibition of the evolution of astronomy, the story of the AOL is reported, since it arose precisely in the middle of that century. Then visitors take a visit to the museum
area, with the guides showing and explaining the various instruments. One of the most striking features in all instruments of the AOL is that not only that they are all still functional, but also that they have never been modernized with electric motors or components or any pieces (gears, micrometers, lenses, etc.) or complete systems (monitoring, engines, etc...) nor replaced by better and more modern equipment. In some cases, small changes were introduced, but most parts are from the same period of the instrument. Very few are those cases where we may be considered modern machinery. This is true only of cameras introduced in the late 60, micrometers of readings near the Meridian Circle
to take pictures of decline. There is also the new plate to the general equatorial refractor, which includes a very modern micrometer for studying double stars (part), which was built in Nice in 1990. However, it’s not associated with the telescope
. It’s true the telescopes are not perfectly aligned or optically collimated, nor the pendulum clocks are working and would some adjustments would have to be made.
The same thing can be said about the building: all moving structures are still function as the original and nothing has changed, been replaced by new solutions or even by modern materials. Thus, we continue to suffer from traditional problems such as leakage of rainwater in some domes in windy nights. Unfortunately, the preservation of works made in 2000 removed the old wiring, including that associated with the signs of time connected to all telescopes through the Electricity Table, which was a great loss, since it was the "jewel in the crown" of all telescopes - which is always a subjective statement given the beauty and value out of them all, but considering the AOL as a house of pure astrometry
, it gave recognition to the work done there, due to the Meridian Circle recital, so all that has auxiliary accessories.
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
. It’s an institution that has been recognized internationally for the quality of its work in the field of positioning astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
, since the 19th century.
In 1992, this institution came to depend on the University of Lisbon and in 1995 it was included in the Science Faculty of the University of Lisbon, with its operations directed towards research and scientific and historical dissemination.
History
The Astronomical Observatory of Lisbon, established by a Law Act on 6 May 1878, was born from great controversy between Hervé Faye, director of the Observatory of Paris and Peters, astronomer at the Russian Observatory of Pulkova, on the parallax of the star of Argelander. The construction of the AOL was due to the strong desire to build a magnificent institution, a reference in Portuguese culture. The foundations were established in the mid 19th century with the aim of promoting new Sidereal Astronomy, discovery and understanding of the infinite cosmosCosmos
In the general sense, a cosmos is an orderly or harmonious system. It originates from the Greek term κόσμος , meaning "order" or "ornament" and is antithetical to the concept of chaos. Today, the word is generally used as a synonym of the word Universe . The word cosmos originates from the same root...
, and concern about the exact mapping of the sky
Sky
The sky is the part of the atmosphere or outer space visible from the surface of any astronomical object. It is difficult to define precisely for several reasons. During daylight, the sky of Earth has the appearance of a pale blue surface because the air scatters the sunlight. The sky is sometimes...
and measuring the size of the universe
Universe
The Universe is commonly defined as the totality of everything that exists, including all matter and energy, the planets, stars, galaxies, and the contents of intergalactic space. Definitions and usage vary and similar terms include the cosmos, the world and nature...
. It was then suggested that it would be built in Lisbon, a place across the European continent where it was possible to make observations of that star of Argelander using a zenithal telescope. In order to do so, it was necessary to build a new observatory
Observatory
An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geology, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed...
where you could install the appropriate equipment. This reality was possible due to the support of King D. Pedro V and other personalities of political life, then.
The plant of the building, executed by the French architect Jean Colson, who was then the most distinguished foreign architect living in Lisbon, was inspired by the building of the Russian Observatory in Pulkova. Wilhelm Struve, director of the Pulkova and a famous astronomer, offered his services to the Portuguese government and was considered the main adviser who played a very important role, not only in the choice of equipment, but also in the orientation of astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
Frederico Augusto Oom, who was given a rough training stage of 5 years. This Lieutenant of the Navy and Hydrographer Engineer, who became the first director of the Royal Astronomical Observatory of Lisbon, had a very important role in the whole foundation of this building. After the financial support and commitment that King D. Pedro V gave to this project, its construction started on the 11th March 1861, under the rule of King D. Luis I, who also contributed to funding the institution, withdrawing money from his personal budget. The edification only ended in 1867, the year in which astronomical observations began.
The Observatory was installed in Ajuda, on land readily offered by the monarch, in the king’s hunting grounds. Since its creation in the nineteenth century and during much of the twentieth century, the Astronomical Observatory of Lisbon has stood out for its excellent work in Astrometry. It has participated in several international campaigns, in particular the international campaign in 1900-1901 to improve the value of the AU
Astronomical unit
An astronomical unit is a unit of length equal to about or approximately the mean Earth–Sun distance....
(astronomical unit) using the opposition of the recently found asteroid Eros. It also had the contribution of its director at the time, Campos Rodrigues, and other local astronomers, to produce a high-quality catalogue of reference stars. The results were so good that the AOL was the only observatory
Observatory
An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geology, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed...
contributing with data and weight to all the 3800 observations which were used to calculate the catalogue. Campos Rodrigues received the Valz prize in 1904 from the French Academy of Sciences
French Academy of Sciences
The French Academy of Sciences is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research...
for the excellence of the work that was being done at Lisbon.
Heritage
The Astronomical Observatory of Lisbon consists of a beautiful central building in the hills of Ajuda and overlooking the Tejo river; there are also two small cupolas outside that are containing instruments, located South. Besides the central cupolaCupola
In architecture, a cupola is a small, most-often dome-like, structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome....
there are three rooms of astronomical observations, properly equipped with instruments (the best of the time) and windows of observation. They are in the north, east and west wings of the central building.
It is the central building of the Astronomical Observatory of Lisbon, a circular room (whose vault is richly worked) which supports the weight of the large equatorial refractor on 8 columns of great size. In arches between the columns the many pendulum clock
Pendulum clock
A pendulum clock is a clock that uses a pendulum, a swinging weight, as its timekeeping element. The advantage of a pendulum for timekeeping is that it is a resonant device; it swings back and forth in a precise time interval dependent on its length, and resists swinging at other rates...
s are arranged, those which during this century of existence have been measuring the time. At the foot of large windows overlooking the Tapada, there are wide tables on which the astronomers developed their research work.
There are also the spacious halls of communication that were used at the time for lessons, for making the calculations, and so on. Today these rooms are used for the workshops of activities of education and support to schools.
The three observation rooms of the building are very spacious and very high, lined with wood, leaving a free space between the coating and the walls of masonry and roofing. This space communicates with the outside world through gaps that are constantly open. There are roofs of rooms in stacks of circulation, and this permanent ventilation is there in order to establish the balance of air temperature
Temperature
Temperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...
in the rooms and beyond, as it is convenient to the accuracy of observations. The coating is made of wood to present an excellent thermal behaviour, apart from being a 100% ecological product, which provides the user with a friendlier environment compared to other substitute materials. The rooms provide openings in the side walls and in the ceiling, through doors, thanks to an ingenious mechanism. Once the doors open once they give you an insight to the sky, according to the meridian
Meridian (geography)
A meridian is an imaginary line on the Earth's surface from the North Pole to the South Pole that connects all locations along it with a given longitude. The position of a point along the meridian is given by its latitude. Each meridian is perpendicular to all circles of latitude...
of Lisbon, from north to south.
Museum and instruments
The undeniable value of the AOL in all parameters of cultural heritage it contains, the historic buildings and scientific instruments of the past, makes the understanding of our own roots easier, by helping us make the bridge between the past and present. The historic preservation of this heritageCultural heritage
Cultural heritage is the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations...
is accomplished through guided tours to the Museum of AOL. At the beginning of the visit, visitors are invited to attend an oral presentation visually sustained by powerpoint slides. A presentation is made of the evolution of astronomy since the 19th century until now, marking the substantial difference to advances that have occurred. Alongside the exhibition of the evolution of astronomy, the story of the AOL is reported, since it arose precisely in the middle of that century. Then visitors take a visit to the museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
area, with the guides showing and explaining the various instruments. One of the most striking features in all instruments of the AOL is that not only that they are all still functional, but also that they have never been modernized with electric motors or components or any pieces (gears, micrometers, lenses, etc.) or complete systems (monitoring, engines, etc...) nor replaced by better and more modern equipment. In some cases, small changes were introduced, but most parts are from the same period of the instrument. Very few are those cases where we may be considered modern machinery. This is true only of cameras introduced in the late 60, micrometers of readings near the Meridian Circle
Meridian circle
The meridian circle, transit circle, or transit telescope is an instrument for observing the time of stars passing the meridian, at the same time measuring its angular distance from the zenith...
to take pictures of decline. There is also the new plate to the general equatorial refractor, which includes a very modern micrometer for studying double stars (part), which was built in Nice in 1990. However, it’s not associated with the telescope
Telescope
A telescope is an instrument that aids in the observation of remote objects by collecting electromagnetic radiation . The first known practical telescopes were invented in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 1600s , using glass lenses...
. It’s true the telescopes are not perfectly aligned or optically collimated, nor the pendulum clocks are working and would some adjustments would have to be made.
The same thing can be said about the building: all moving structures are still function as the original and nothing has changed, been replaced by new solutions or even by modern materials. Thus, we continue to suffer from traditional problems such as leakage of rainwater in some domes in windy nights. Unfortunately, the preservation of works made in 2000 removed the old wiring, including that associated with the signs of time connected to all telescopes through the Electricity Table, which was a great loss, since it was the "jewel in the crown" of all telescopes - which is always a subjective statement given the beauty and value out of them all, but considering the AOL as a house of pure astrometry
Astrometry
Astrometry is the branch of astronomy that involves precise measurements of the positions and movements of stars and other celestial bodies. The information obtained by astrometric measurements provides information on the kinematics and physical origin of our Solar System and our Galaxy, the Milky...
, it gave recognition to the work done there, due to the Meridian Circle recital, so all that has auxiliary accessories.
In Portuguese
- José António Madeira, "O primeiro centenário do Observatório Astronómico de Lisboa, 1861-1961".
- Frederico Augusto Oom, "Considerações acerca da organização do Real Observatório Astronómico de Lisboa"
- Ezequiel Cabrita, "Os regimes de hora legal no nosso país desde a criação do Observatório Astronómico de Lisboa — Separata de Dados Astronómicos para 1978".
- Pedro Raposo, "A vida e a obra do almirante Campos Rodrigues". Master thesis in History and Philosophy of Sciences (oriented by Henrique Leitão). University of Lisbon, 2006.
External links
- Library, Archives and Historical Documents
- Guided tours
- Scientific office
- Astronomical Observatory of Lisbon (AOL)
- CAAUL
| AOL Astronomical Observatory of Lisbon |
|
| Foundation | 1861 |
| Kind of institution | Public |
| Sub-Director | Professeur Paulo Crawford |
| Location | Lisboa Alcântara Tapada da Ajuda |
| Official page | Astronomical Observatory of Lisbon (AOL) |