Pietro Baracchi, 1851-1926, Italian-Australian Astronomer

Pietro Paolo Giovanni Ernesto Baracchi (25 February 1851 – 23 July 1926) was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

-born astronomer, active in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and Government Astronomer of

Victoria (Australia) Victoria is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state with a land area of , the second most populated state (after New South Wales) with a population of over 6.5 million, and the most densely populated state in ...

1900-15.J. L. Perdrix,
Baracchi, Pietro Paolo Giovanni Ernesto (1851 - 1926)
, ''

Australian Dictionary of Biography The ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' (ADB or AuDB) is a national co-operative enterprise founded and maintained by the Australian National University (ANU) to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's ...

'', Volume 7, MUP, 1979, pp 166–167 Baracchi was born in

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

and took a degree in civil engineering. In 1876 he sailed for

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

, but soon moved on to

. He gained work as an assistant at the

Melbourne Observatory Melbourne Observatory is an observatory located on a hill adjacent to the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. The observatory commenced operations in 1862 and was decommissioned from official Government work in 1945. The observatory has since continu ...

and was selected to be transferred to Darwin. After completing his task there to measure

longitude Longitude (, ) is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east–west position of a point on the surface of the Earth, or another celestial body. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees and denoted by the Greek letter l ...

s, he returned to

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

and became an acting government astronomer on 30 June 1895 on Robert L. J. Ellery's retirement. Baracchi was awarded the Order of Knight Commander of the Crown of Italy, 1897 and was president of the

Royal Society of Victoria The Royal Society of Victoria (RSV) is the oldest scientific society in the state of Victoria in Australia. Foundation In 1854 two organisations formed with similar aims and membership, these being ''The Philosophical Society of Victoria'' (fou ...

1908–1909. He established the

Mount Stromlo Observatory Mount Stromlo Observatory located just outside Canberra, Australia, is part of the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the Australian National University (ANU). History The observatory was established in 1924 as The Commonwea ...

in 1910. His wife died in 1908. Baracchi retired in 1915 and was succeeded as Government Astronomer of Victoria by

Joseph M. Baldwin Joseph Mason Baldwin (9 September 1878 – 6 July 1945) was Victorian government astronomer 1920–1943. Baldwin was born in Carlton, Melbourne, Australia, the third son of Joseph Baldwin (d.1887) and his wife Emma Maria, née Graham. J.M. Ba ...

. In 1922 Baracchi visited Europe for two years and after his return he lived at the

Melbourne Club The Melbourne Club is a private social club established in 1838 and located at 36 Collins Street, Melbourne. The club is a symbol of Australia's British social heritage and was established at a gathering of 23 gentlemen on Saturday, 17 Decembe ...

. His son Guido Baracchi (1887–1975)Biography - Guido Carlo Luigi Baracchi - Australian Dictionary of Biography
/ref> was a founding member of the

Communist Party of Australia The Communist Party of Australia (CPA), known as the Australian Communist Party (ACP) from 1944 to 1951, was an Australian political party founded in 1920. The party existed until roughly 1991, with its membership and influence having been i ...

References

Baracchi, Pietro Paolo Giovanni Ernesto (1851 - 1926)
at Bright Sparcs,

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Baracchi, Pietro Paolo Giovanni Ernesto 1851 births 1926 deaths Scientists from Florence 19th-century Australian astronomers Italian emigrants to Australia 20th-century Australian astronomers