History

"The advantages, which result from cultivating Astronomy effectively, like all the more parts of Mathematics, on which it depends, are of so great consideration, and of such important consequences to the general advance of human knowledge; and to the particular perfection of geography, and navigation; that it has everywhere deserved the attention of the Sovereigns, making it possible to build magnificent observatories for the progress of Astronomy, as a necessary Science to obtain the knowledge of the terrestrial globe; and if they hold in their hands the keys of the Universe. In view of the above: I order that an Observatory be established in the University; so that the Students may take in it Lessons in Practical Astronomy; as well as for the Professors to work assiduously in making all the Observations, which are necessary to fix the Geographical Longitudes; and to rectify the fundamental Elements of the same Astronomy (...)".

Thus one can read in the Statutes of the University of Coimbra of 1772 the reasons and guidelines for the creation of the Astronomical Observatory of the University of Coimbra: an educational and research establishment!

The creation of the Astronomical Observatory was part of a broader project, during the reign of D. José I, which became known as the Reform of the University of Coimbra or Pombaline Reform, given the indelible mark left in this process by the Marquis of Pombal.

The process of building the Observatory, both physical and scientific, suffered some vicissitudes, which only at the end of the century XVIII will be outdated. The initial design, a majestic building, was abandoned in September 1775, probably due to the foreseeable exaggerated cost. In 1790, a building began to be erected in the Courtyard of the University "more simple but of elegant construction." (1872, Castro Freire - Press of the University of Coimbra).

The works ended in 1799 and in a letter from the Prince Regent D. João VI (1767-1826) to the Rector of the University by December 4th of the same year, the vocation of the Astronomical Observatory is rectified "(...) the establishment of the Observatory of that University should not only serve for practical demonstrations of Astronomy, but also to work assiduously on the most accurate and accurate observations (...)". We allow ourselves to highlight here the insistence on the word "assiduity" that will have enormous repercussions on the type of work developed by the Astronomical Observatory. We are referring, for example, to the publication of astronomical ephemeris begun in 1802.

This work and subsequent editions had a considerable impact on astronomy at the time. Several renowned astronomers such as Baron de von Zach or the Frenchman Delambre referred to the Coimbra ephemeris with praise. In reality as Rudolfo Guimarães states the ephemeris of Coimbra were far from being a copy of foreign almanacs (1909 - Press of the University of Coimbra). In its early years the Ephemeris of Coimbra were a constant source of scientific novelties: determination of eclipses (volumes for the years 1804 and 1807); Mars positions (1804); determination of geographical longitude (1804 and 1805); interpolation methods (1808 and 1809); etc. The publication of the Ephemeris of the Astronomical Observatory has continued, almost uninterruptedly, to this day.

In this process of establishing the Astronomical Observatory as a scientific institution there is a figure that stands out: José Monteiro da Rocha, who was its first Director. In our last article we will include some notes about Monteiro da Rocha's character. However, it is unavoidable to mention it on this occasion since an important part of its scientific life is confused with the early years of the Observatory. Monteiro da Rocha has already actively participated in the Reform of the University in particular with regard to the Faculties of Mathematics and Philosophy. He was also the great promoter of the publication of the Ephemeris, including his works in the first volumes. Francisco Costa Lobo, a landmark of the national Astronomy of the century. XX, does not hesitate to call Monteiro da Rocha as a star of the first magnitude.

It is now important to mention some more organizational and technical aspects of the early days of the Coimbra Observatory. A board was created composed of a Director, who had to be a retired lens, two astronomers (the first being the lens of the Astronomy chair), four assistants, a guard, a guard practitioner and a porter.

This staff reflects the Observatory's natural connection to the practical teaching of astronomy. The Reform of the University had instituted a chair of Astronomy in the fourth year of the course of the Faculty of Mathematics, of which was first professor Miguel António Ciera, Italian engineer who came to Portugal in the middle of the century XVIII with the aim of assisting the geographical demarcation. The program of the Astronomy chair reflected the real desire to put the teaching Portuguese in line with what was best done at the time. The teacher should teach the motions of the planets according to Newton's theory with the Sun as the center.

With regard to the equipment, the Astronomical Observatory received an important part of the estate of the Royal College of Nobles in Lisbon, fruit of the abolition of mathematical studies in that institution in 1772.

But the requirements for precise observations required additional equipment. About the direction of Monteiro da Rocha we can find "(...) two good quarters of a circle of Adams, pendulas of Magellan and Carnshaw, (...) a quadrant of Troughton, the spectacle of passages of Dollond, and the beautiful pendula of Berthoud, more perfect instruments with which the observations of meridian heights and passages began." (1872, Castro Freire - Press of the University of Coimbra).

The value of the creation of the Astronomical Observatory of the University of Coimbra for the evolution of the study of Astronomy in Portugal is unquestionable. It was the first major national observatory and translated the will of the time to combine theoretical and practical knowledge with real advantages for Portuguese Science.

The Astronomical Observatory of the University of Coimbra operated in the initial site for about 150 years. Already in the twentieth century, in the early forties, the new plan of the University City provided for the demolition of the Terreiro Observatory, in order to allocate to it new facilities more consistent and in order to unwind the courtyard of the University.

Thus, the Observatory was transferred to Alto de Santa Clara in 1951. Since then the Observatory has been operating in these facilities. Currently, there develops scientific activities, teaching and dissemination in Astronomy.

* Text by Doutor Ivo Alves, Director of the Geophysical Institute of the University of Coimbra between 2001 and 2012

The Geophysical Institute of the University of Coimbra (IGUC) was created in 1864 in the place where it still works, in Cumeada, today Avenida Dr. Dias da Silva. It was then called the Meteorological and Magnetic Observatory and, since then, it has always been the most complete center Portuguese environmental monitoring. There data from Meteorology (since 1864), Magnetism (1866 – since the beginning of the century are collected and processed. XX which is the only observatory Portuguese), Seismology (1891 – first Portuguese seismic station) and Planetary Science.

It can be difficult to understand, for those who fund science, the need for institutions whose mission is to record data uninterruptedly. Investments in these laboratories do not translate directly and immediately into revenues. Neither do investments in health, by the way, and this can be a good analogy. We are all sensitive to the diseases of our planet. When we are sick, doctors do not start the diagnosis by surgery. First they study our clinical history and then use complementary means such as clinical analyses, radiographs or electrocardiograms. That's what IGUC has been doing for a century and a half: it archives Earth's "clinical history" to help diagnose its health. Let's see how.

Seismology "takes the pulse" and, at the same time, "radiographs" the interior of the planet; it is their tools that allow us to locate oil deposits; it is what helps us to estimate risks and thus better order our territory. Meteorology measures and records our temperature (from the air, from the ground), our "appearance" (the various forms of solar radiation), our "breath" (atmospheric pressure, speed and direction of the winds) and even the hydration of our "skin" (precipitation, atmospheric and soil humidity, evaporation). The records of the Magnetic Observatory are the "electrocardiograms" of the Solar System. In addition to the main geomagnetic field, originating in the Earth's core, which directs compass needles to the North (approximately – or sometimes to the South...), our planet is permanently immersed in electromagnetic fields originating in the Sun. Occasionally, these fields can be so strong that they disrupt our lives, powered by electricity and telecommunications. Before launching a drug on the market, clinical trials are carried out. Ours are studies of other planets, which help us better understand Earth's past and, hopefully, predict its future evolution. In addition to the four nuclear components of the IGUC's work, others have been added over the years, such as the collection of atmospheric pollen, the recording of ionising radiation in the atmosphere and air quality, in cooperation with other institutions.

IGUC's latest project is the integration of all its data into a platform for assessing and predicting space threats on Earth. To this end, in 2013, he joined the Astronomical Observatory of the University of Coimbra now forming the Geophysical and Astronomical Observatory, prepared to offer society another 150 years of science. We can only know what is going wrong with planetary health if we preserve, analyze, continue, and cherish the long data series from ancient observatories like ours. After all, who would think of belittling clinical analyses?

* Text by Doutor Ivo Alves, Director of the Geophysical Institute of the University of Coimbra between 2001 and 2012