Speaker
Description
The astronomer Maurizio Buscalioni (1856–1914) who comes from a family of renowned political and scientific career, served as the Caracas observatory's first director in 1890 and was also a meteorologist. He outfitted the observatory with cutting-edge equipment, concentrating on meteorological and astrometric instruments. The first comprehensive measurements of atmospheric pressure, temperature, humidity, and precipitation were made under his direction. He did astrometric measurements to ascertain the geographic latitude of the observatory and the official Venezuelan time. All of these initiatives were developed in collaboration with astronomers and observatories in America and Europe. Even so, unknown aspects related to his training and career in astronomy and mathematics, apparently intertwined with important changes in his life, constitute a challenge for historical research in science. In this work, we present new elements that may answer some important questions.
