Astrum 2009: 400 years of 'star science'

Catholic Communications, Sydney Archdiocese,
15 Oct 2009

It is called Astrum 2009, a historical exhibition of Italian astronomy instruments, located next to the Vatican Museums. At the exhibition, which is open to the public from October 15th to January 15th, 2010, astronomy instruments are displayed from several collections of Italian Astronomy and Astrophysics Observatories, as well as from the Vatican Museums and the Vatican 'Specola' Observatory.

With the display of approximately 50 instruments, this exhibition wishes to show the role that these instruments have played in the last 400 years in the evolution of astronomy as well as their contribution to the definition of the present knowledge of the universe.

Along with the instruments, archive books and documents will also be displayed and a supplementary section illustrates the influence of astronomy and the astronomy observatories in other fields, displaying instruments for the measurement of time, land, for navigation as well as for the study of meteorology, among others.

The publication of a catalogue about the exhibition is being prepared, while a series of meetings and conferences on the main themes of the history of astronomy and the scientific instrumentation are scheduled to accompany the display.