The Saturn problem and the path of comets: an analysis of the academicians' theoretical and observational Astronomy

There is no indication in the Cimento’s only publication, Saggi di naturali esperienze, that the academicians were at all interested in making astronomical observations. Additionally, in the official Cimento diary, the only work in astronomy that the academicians recorded was their involvement in the dispute between Christian Huygens and Father Honorè Fabri (1607–1688) in 1660 regarding the appearance of Saturn. This dispute was mentioned briefly in the diary on only five occasions. From this evidence, it would appear, therefore, that the Cimento’s interests in astronomy were only marginal, or as Middleton argues, a mere ‘digression’ from the academicians’ work in other areas, such as the vacuum, air pressure, and the effects of heat and cold. However, while the Cimento’s publication and diary provides little indication that the academicians were interested in astronomy, unpublished letters and manuscripts again reveal much more about the amount of work they carried out in this field and the intellectual aims and interests that work encompassed.