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LOCATION

Museo della Specola

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description

The Museo della Specola is located on the top of the Torre Pisana (or Torre di Santa Ninfa) of the Palazzo dei Normanni, on the site that housed the ancient observatory (Specola Panormitana), established in 1790 at the behest of King Ferdinand I of Bourbon. In this place, on January 1st 1801, the Theatine father Giuseppe Piazzi, first director of the observatory, discovered the first asteroid, Ceres (today classified as a dwarf planet). The entire structure, with most of its original furnishings and instruments, was completely restored in the 1990s and the Museum was inaugurated in 2001. It includes the original premises of the Observatory, such as the Circular Room (hosting the famous Ramsden Circle, the telescope used by Piazzi for his studies), the Gallery of Mobile Instruments, the Meridian Room and the terrace, two buildings added in 1802 (which now house the Directors’ Gallery and the Meteorological Room) and the Refractor room, originally built in 1865, now fully renovated. Collections of historical scientific instruments, mostly dating back to the 18th and 19th century, are on display in the Museum together with paintings and furniture. The Museum, which is part of the Palermo University Museum network, is run by agreement by the INAF-Palermo Astronomical Observatory, which over time has taken care of the cataloging, restoration and display of the collections, offering fruition to scholars and the entire community.