About
Roger Joseph Boscovich (1711-1787) was a Jesuit and polymath born in Dubrovnik, Republic of Ragusa. Professor of mathematics at the Collegium Romanum in Rome, he is known for his atomic theory based on dimensionless points, expounded in Philosophiae Naturalis Theoria (1758), which influenced Faraday and Maxwell. He discovered the Moon's lack of atmosphere, measured a meridian arc, and advised the pope on St. Peter's dome. He directed the Brera Observatory and worked for the French navy.
* 1711-05-18 — † 1787-02-13
Major works
- Philosophiae Naturalis Theoria Redacta ad Unicam Legem Virium in Natura Existentium (1758)scientific treatise
- De Litteraria Expeditione per Pontificiam Ditionem (1755)expedition account
- De Solis et Lunae Defectibus (1764)didactic poem
Key milestones
- 1742Consulted by Pope Benedict XIV on cracks in the dome of St. Peter's Basilica.
- 1753Discovered that the Moon has no atmosphere through stellar occultation observations.
- 1761Elected Fellow of the Royal Society in London.
Themes
Atomic theoryAstronomyMathematicsNatural philosophyGeodesy
Sources: catalogues.royalsociety.org · britannica.com · vaticanobservatory.org