Luigi Palmieri (22 April 1807 – 9 September 1896) was an Italian

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...

and

meteorologist A meteorologist is a scientist who studies and works in the field of meteorology aiming to understand or predict Earth's atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric phenomena including the weather. Those who study meteorological phenomena are meteorologists ...

. He was famous for his scientific studies of the eruptions of Mount

Vesuvius Mount Vesuvius ( ) is a Somma volcano, somma–stratovolcano located on the Gulf of Naples in Campania, Italy, about east of Naples and a short distance from the shore. It is one of several volcanoes forming the Campanian volcanic arc. Vesuv ...

, for his researches on earthquakes and meteorological phenomena and for improving the

seismograph A seismometer is an instrument that responds to ground displacement and shaking such as caused by quakes, volcanic eruptions, and explosions. They are usually combined with a timing device and a recording device to form a seismograph. The out ...

of the time.

Biography

Palmieri was born in Faicchio, Benevento, Italy and died in

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

, Italy at the age of 89. Palmieri received a degree in physics from the

University of Naples The University of Naples Federico II (; , ) is a public university, public research university in Naples, Campania, Italy. Established in 1224 and named after its founder, Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick II, it is the oldest public, s ...

. In 1845, he was made Professor of Physics at the Royal Naval School in Naples and in 1847 was appointed as Chair of Physics at the university. In 1848, he began working at the

Vesuvius Observatory The Vesuvius Observatory () is the surveillance centre for monitoring the three volcanic areas of Campania, Italy: Mount Vesuvius, the Phlegrean Fields and Ischia. Founded in 1841 on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius by Ferdinand II of Bourbon, Ki ...

and in 1854 was appointed as Director of the Observatory. Using an electromagnetic

seismometer A seismometer is an instrument that responds to ground displacement and shaking such as caused by quakes, volcanic eruptions, and explosions. They are usually combined with a timing device and a recording device to form a seismograph. The out ...

for the detection and measurement of ground tremors, Palmieri was able to detect very slight movements in trying to predict volcanic eruptions. Furthermore, he was the first to detect the presence of

Helium Helium (from ) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol He and atomic number 2. It is a colorless, odorless, non-toxic, inert gas, inert, monatomic gas and the first in the noble gas group in the periodic table. Its boiling point is ...

on Earth on the lava of Mount Vesuvius. Using a modified Peltier electrometer, he also carried out research in the field of

atmospheric electricity Atmospheric electricity describes the electrical charges in the Earth's atmosphere (or that of another planet). The movement of charge between the Earth's surface, the atmosphere, and the ionosphere is known as the global atmospheric electrica ...

. Other scientific contributions included the development of a modified Morse telegraph, and improvements to the

anemometer In meteorology, an anemometer () is a device that measures wind speed and direction. It is a common instrument used in weather stations. The earliest known description of an anemometer was by Italian architect and author Leon Battista Alberti ...

and pluviometer. Biography * Royal Society of Naples (Academy of Sciences) – 1861 * Academy of the Lincei (Florence) – 1871 *

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

(Philadelphia) -- 1873

Honours

* The crater Palmieri on the Moon * Member of the Superior Council of Meteorology * Senator of the London tower * Grand Commander of the Order of the Crown of Italy * Commander of the Order of Rosa del Brazile

Publications

* "''Annali dell' osservatorio Vesuviano''". 1859–1873. * "''Incendio Vesuviano del 26 Aprile 1872''". Naples, 1872. (Ger.: Berlin, 1872) * "''Il Vesuvio e la sua storia''". Milan, 1880. * "''Nuove lezioni di fisica sperimentale e di fisica terrestre''". Naples, 1883. * "''Die Atmospharische Elektrizität''". Vienna, 1884. * "''Les lois et les origines de l'électricité''". Paris, 1885. *

References

External links

* "
Luigi Palmieri
'". Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XI. Robert Appleton Company, 1911. (K. Knight, 2003) * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Palmieri, Luigi 19th-century Italian physicists Italian meteorologists People from the Province of Benevento 1807 births 1896 deaths Scientists from the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies International members of the American Philosophical Society

Biography

See also

Honours

Publications

References

External links