Roger Joseph Boscovich
Roger Joseph Boscovich | |
|---|---|
Portrait by Robert Edge Pine, London, 1760 | |
| Born | Ruđer Josip Bošković 18 May 1711 |
| Died | 13 February 1787 (aged 75) |
| Citizenship | Republic of Ragusa |
| Alma mater | Collegio Romano |
| Known for | Precursor of the atomic theory Founder of Brera Observatory |
| Awards | ForMemRS (1761) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Theology, physics, astronomy, mathematics, natural philosophy, diplomacy, poetry |
| Institutions | Brera Observatory University of Pavia |
Roger Joseph Boscovich SJ (Croatian: Ruđer Josip Bošković, pronounced [rûd͡ʑer jǒsip bôʃkoʋit͡ɕ]; Italian: Ruggiero Giuseppe Boscovich; Latin: Rogerius (Iosephus) Boscovicius; 18 May 1711 – 13 February 1787) was a Croatian physicist, astronomer, mathematician, philosopher, diplomat, poet, theologian, Jesuit priest, and a polymath from the Republic of Ragusa. He studied and lived in Italy and France where he also published many of his works.
Boscovich produced a precursor of atomic theory and made many contributions to astronomy, including the first geometric procedure for determining the equator of a rotating planet from three observations of a surface feature and for computing the orbit of a planet from three observations of its position. In 1753 he also discovered the absence of an atmosphere on the Moon.