XLIV National Congress of the Italian Society for the History of Physics and Astronomy

Solar storms that enchant and frighten: a historical-artistic journey among the aurorae boreales appeared in the sky of Naples over the last two centuries

19 Sept 2024, 15:20

20m

Library (Arcetri Astrophysical Observatory)

SISFA 2024 History of Physics and Astronomy (until 19th century)

Speaker

Sasso, Clementina (Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF))

Description

The aurora borealis, a name Galileo used for the first time to describe the spectacular luminous phenomenon caused by the collision of electrically charged particles from the Sun and gaseous particles in the Earth's atmosphere, has always fascinated scientists for their multiple shapes and colors. Generally, the auroras are visible in the circumpolar areas at high latitudes, but when solar activity is very intense, the aurora can become visible as far away as Italy.
In this communication, we report observations made from Naples and its surroundings of the aurora borealis of the last two centuries, starting from the one observed in 1737 by Francesco Serao, in his unpublished report, passing through the aurora of 1848 observed and portrayed by Capodimonte Observatory by Salvatore Fergola and described by Patrelli, the director of the Royal Navy Observatory. There will also be no shortage of images of the last Northern Lights of 10 May 2024, visible from the Neapolitan skies.