Exhibition: Astronomy and Planetariums

At the Library, we periodically set up a ‘thematic display’ where books and documents belonging to our heritage related to a theme or anniversary are exhibited. For the month of December 2025, we have chosen astronomy and planetariums.

Since prehistoric times, humans have been fascinated by the sky and its phenomena. Astronomical artefacts - from cave paintings to large megalithic structures, such as the famous Stonehenge complex, to the sophisticated calendars developed by the Egyptians and Mayans - demonstrate a widespread interest in the study of celestial bodies. In ancient times, it was believed that the sky was the place where gods, heroes and mythological figures lived. Gradually, the supernatural aspect was removed from explanations of phenomena and, over time, observation instruments became larger and more powerful, evolving from Galileo's telescope to today's telescopes.

At the same time, attempts to reproduce the appearance of the starry sky have ancient roots, with the first attempt to construct a three-dimensional celestial globe by Anaximander in the 6th century BC, leading up to modern planetariums. On 21 October 1923, in Munich, the Carl Zeiss optical company of Jena presented the first projection planetarium, developed for the Deutsches Museum in Munich. It was the first public demonstration of an artificial starry sky and marked the birth of the modern planetarium. On 7 May 1925, it began regular operation at the Deutsches Museum. The planetarium community, both in Italy and abroad, celebrated its centenary this year.

edited by Serena Musante and Roberta Scordamaglia - CAeB

 

The list of books that were displayed in the thematic showcase:
 

 

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