Comets, meteors, and eclipses: Art and science in early Renaissance Italy

Abstract

Abstract-We discuss eight trecento (fourteenth century) paintings containing depictions of astronomical events to reveal the revolutionary advances made in both astronomy and naturalistic painting in early Renaissance Italy, noting that an artistic interest in naturalism predisposed these pioneering painters to make their scientific observations. In tum, the convincing representations of their observations ofastronomical phenomena in works ofart rendered their paintings more convincing. Padua was already a renowned center for mathematics and nascent astronomy (which was separating from astrology) when Enrico Scrovegni commissioned the famous Florentine artist Giotto di Bondone to decorate his lavish family chapel (ca. 1301-1303). Giotto painted a flaming comet in lieu of the traditional Star of Bethlehem in the Adoration of the Magi scene. Moreover, he painted a historical apparition that he recently had observed with a great accuracy even by modem standards: Halley

Meteorites as a Scientific Heritage

“…Due to physiographic factors, Italian meteorites are extremely rare and to date only 42 meteorites-both falls and finds-have been officially approved by the Meteoritical Society. In spite of their small number and their belonging to a rather common typology (among these, 25 are ordinary chondrites) the study of Italian meteorites has long been the subject of intense historiographic and theoretical debates [45][46][47][48][49][50][51] such as the lively controversy that arose after the shower of stones that fell on Siena on 17 June 1794 [52][53]. Furthermore, Italian meteorites, such as those of other Western countries, are particularly sought out in the collector market due to their rarity.…”