Matteo Campani-Alimenis
Encyclopedia
Matteo or Mathieu Campani-Alimenis (born in Spoleto
, Italy
) was a mechanician and natural philosopher of the 17th century.
He held a curacy at Rome
in 1661, but devoted himself principally to scientific pursuits. As an optician he is chiefly celebrated for, the manufacture of the large object-glasses with which Cassini
discovered two of Saturn
's satellites, and for an attempt to rectify chromatic aberration by using a triple eyeglass; and in clock-making, for his invention of the illuminated dial-plate, and that of noiseless clocks, as well as for an attempt to correct the irregularities of the pendulum
which arise from variations of temperature. Campani published in 1678 a work on horology
, and on the manufacture of lenses for telescope
s.
His younger brother Giuseppe
was also an ingenious optician (indeed the attempt to correct chromatic aberration has been ascribed to him instead of to Matteo), and is, besides, noteworthy as an astronomer
, especially for his discovery, by the aid of a telescope of his own construction, of the spots in Jupiter
, the credit of which was, however, also claimed by Eustachio Divini
.
Spoleto
Spoleto is an ancient city in the Italian province of Perugia in east central Umbria on a foothill of the Apennines. It is S. of Trevi, N. of Terni, SE of Perugia; SE of Florence; and N of Rome.-History:...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
) was a mechanician and natural philosopher of the 17th century.
He held a curacy at Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
in 1661, but devoted himself principally to scientific pursuits. As an optician he is chiefly celebrated for, the manufacture of the large object-glasses with which Cassini
Giovanni Domenico Cassini
This article is about the Italian-born astronomer. For his French-born great-grandson, see Jean-Dominique Cassini.Giovanni Domenico Cassini was an Italian/French mathematician, astronomer, engineer, and astrologer...
discovered two of Saturn
Saturn
Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in the Solar System, after Jupiter. Saturn is named after the Roman god Saturn, equated to the Greek Cronus , the Babylonian Ninurta and the Hindu Shani. Saturn's astronomical symbol represents the Roman god's sickle.Saturn,...
's satellites, and for an attempt to rectify chromatic aberration by using a triple eyeglass; and in clock-making, for his invention of the illuminated dial-plate, and that of noiseless clocks, as well as for an attempt to correct the irregularities of the pendulum
Pendulum
A pendulum is a weight suspended from a pivot so that it can swing freely. When a pendulum is displaced from its resting equilibrium position, it is subject to a restoring force due to gravity that will accelerate it back toward the equilibrium position...
which arise from variations of temperature. Campani published in 1678 a work on horology
Horology
Horology is the art or science of measuring time. Clocks, watches, clockwork, sundials, clepsydras, timers, time recorders and marine chronometers are all examples of instruments used to measure time.People interested in horology are called horologists...
, and on the manufacture of lenses for 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...
s.
His younger brother Giuseppe
Giuseppe Campani
Giuseppe Campani was an Italian optician and astronomer who lived in Rome during the latter half of the 17th century.His brother, Matteo Campani-Alimenis, and he were experts in grinding and polishing lenses, especially for very long focal length aerial telescope objectives...
was also an ingenious optician (indeed the attempt to correct chromatic aberration has been ascribed to him instead of to Matteo), and is, besides, noteworthy as an 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...
, especially for his discovery, by the aid of a telescope of his own construction, of the spots in Jupiter
Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet within the Solar System. It is a gas giant with mass one-thousandth that of the Sun but is two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in our Solar System combined. Jupiter is classified as a gas giant along with Saturn,...
, the credit of which was, however, also claimed by Eustachio Divini
Eustachio Divini
Eustachio Divini was an Italian manufacturer and experimenter of optical instruments for scientific use in Rome.-The origins:Eustachio was born on 4 October 1610 in San Severino Marche, from the illustrious Divini's family...
.