%0 Journal Article
%T Buenaventura Suarez, S.J. (1679-1750) Part 1: Telescope maker, Jovian satellites observer
%A S. Galindo
%A M.A. Rodr¨ªguez-Meza
%J Revista mexicana de f¨ªsica E
%D 2011
%I Sociedad Mexicana de F¨ªsica
%X During the first half of the 18th century, Father Buenaventura Su¨¢rez performed a series of astronomical observations in the Jesuit Reductions of Paraguay. His observations were published in prestigious European journals such as the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society and the Acta of the Royal Scientific Society of Uppsala. Working in the antipodes of the Jesuit astronomical centers of Europe and Asia, Su¨¢rez was not cut off from their mainstream activities. Educated at Cordoba, present day Argentina, under the Jesuit scholarly tradition, he was familiar with the observations and astronomical knowledge of his time. In spite of being an untutored astronomer he was capable of constructing his own telescopes, perhaps the first telescopes ever built in the Americas. Our present work analyzes the happy local circumstances that allowed him to produce his own astronomical instruments in Paraguay. By examining factual evidence from fictitious tales we show that, contrary to the common belief, Su¨¢rez was not provided with English telescopes for his observations. In addition we examine the circumstances and context of his observations on Jupiter's satellites, and the accuracy of his measurements. We show how his observations reached the Royal Society of London. Our findings prove that the politics of the Royal Society facilitated him this communication and it was not through a rather complicated network that Su¨¢rez sent London his data as was previously published. By examining factual accomplishments from alleged deeds we try to breakdown the mythology associated to this extraordinary personage. Durante la primera mitad del siglo 18, el Padre Buenaventura Su¨¢rez realiz¨® una serie de observaciones astron¨®micas en las Reducciones jesuitas del Paraguay. Sus observaciones fueron publicadas en prestigiosas revistas europeas tales como las Transacciones de la Real Sociedad y el Acta de la Real Sociedad Cient¨ªfica de Upsala. Trabajando en las ant¨ªpodas de los centros astron¨®micos jesuitas en Europa y Asia, Su¨¢rez no estuvo aislado de sus actividades convencionales. Educado en C¨®rdoba, en la actual Argentina, bajo la tradici¨®n acad¨¦mica jesuita, ¨¦l estuvo al tanto de las observaciones y conocimiento astron¨®mico de su ¨¦poca. A pesar de no haber sido entrenado como astr¨®nomo, fue capaz de construir sus propios telescopios, tal vez los primeros telescopios construidos en las Am¨¦ricas. El presente trabajo analiza las circunstancias propicias locales que le permitieron fabricar sus instrumentos astron¨®micos en el Paraguay. Mediante un examen de evidencias reales e
%K Buenaventura Suarez
%K early telescopes
%K history of science
%K Jesuit astronomy
%K Buenaventura Suarez
%K early telescopes
%K history of science
%K Jesuit astronomy
%U http://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1870-35422011000200006