Niccolò Zucchi (nonfiction)

Niccolò Zucchi.

Niccolò Zucchi (Italian pronunciation: [nikkoˈlɔ dˈdzukki; tˈtsukki]; December 6, 1586 – May 21, 1670) was an Italian Jesuit, astronomer, and physicist.

Zucchi taught mathematics, rhetorics and theology as a professor at the Collegio Romano, and then was appointed as rector of a new Jesuit college in Ravenna by Cardinal Alessandro Orsini. He later served as the apostolic preacher, a post often referred to as “preacher to the pope”, for about seven years.

In 1623, Zucchi was a member of a Papal legate sent to the court of Ferdinand II. There he met Johannes Kepler, the German mathematician and astronomer. Kepler encouraged Zucchi’s interest in astronomy. Zucchi maintained correspondence with Kepler after returning to Rome. At one point when Kepler was in financial difficulties, Zucchi, at the urging of the Jesuit scientist Father Paul Guldin, gave a telescope of his own design to Kepler, who mentioned the gift in his book “The Dream”.

Zucchi, along with fellow Jesuit Daniello Bartoli, may have been the first to see the belts on the planet Jupiter (on May 17, 1630).

Zucchi reported spots on Mars in 1640.

Zucchi published many books on science, including two works on the "philosophy of machines" (analyses of mechanics) in 1646 and 1649, and Optica philosophia in 1652. He also wrote an unpublished Optica statica, which has not survived.

Other topics Zucchi wrote about included magnetism, barometers (denying the existence of the vacuum), and phosphors (demonstrating that phosphors generate rather than store light).

Zucchi incorrectly asserted that since Venus represents beauty, it is closer to the Sun than Mercury (which represents skill).

Zucchi died in Rome on May 21, 1670.

Bartoli wrote his Jesuit biography (1682).

Nonfiction cross-reference

• Daniello Bartoli (nonfiction)
• Johannes Kepler (nonfiction)
• Paul Guldin (nonfiction)
• Physicist (nonfiction)

External links:

• Niccolò Zucch @ Wikipedia