Chinnici I. (ed.) Merz Telescopes. A global heritage worth preserving

Springer International Publishing, 2017 — 185p. — (Historical & Cultural Astronomy) — ISBN: 978-3-319-41486-7 (eBook), 978-3-319-41485-0 (Hardcover).This book comprises a fascinating collection of contributions on the Merz telescopes in Italy that collectively offer the first survey on historical large refracting telescopes in the country, drawing on original documents and photographs. It opens with a general introduction on the importance of Merz telescopes in the history of astronomy and analyses of the local and international contexts in which the telescopes were made. After examination of an example of the interaction between the maker and the astronomer in the construction and maintenance of these refractors, the history of the Merz telescopes at the main Italian observatories in the nineteenth century is described in detail. Expert testimony is also provided on how these telescopes were successfully used until the second half of the twentieth century for research purposes, thus proving their excellent optical qualities.Big Is Beautiful: A Few Considerations About the Making of the Large 19th Century Refractors
The Merz Company: A Global Player of 19th Century
The Maker and the Scientist: The Merz-Secchi Connection
The Padua Observatory and the Merz Workshop Under the Austro-Hungarian Empire
The Merz Refractors at the Brera Astronomical Observatory
Merz Telescopes in Rome
On the Collection of Merz Instruments at the Naples Observatory
A Merz Telescope on Mount Etna: The Catania Astrophysical Observatory
Double Star Measurement with the Merz Refractors at the Padova and Torino Observatories