MG11 
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The aftermath of Eddington’s 1919 solar eclipse expedition to Principe. The appropriation of relativity by the Portuguese astronomical community (1917-1930)

Despite a host of case studies addressing the reception of the theory of relativity by the international community of historians of science, few have dealt with its reception among the community of astronomers. Few case studies have addressed the reception of relativity in Portugal, none paying attention to the reactions of astronomers. The national literature on the matter has concentrated mainly on the reactions to relativity of the Portuguese mathematical community, and the absence of Portuguese astronomers by Eddington’s side has been equated implicitly with the lack of interest of the astronomical community towards the event. What was the impact in Portugal of the 1919 expedition which took place in Portuguese soil? Why did not any Portuguese astronomers accompany Eddington? What was the profile of the Portuguese astronomical community? What topics were they working on? How was relativity appropriated by them? Did it play a role in their subsequent work? Granting that relativity was born at the interface of physics, mathematics and astronomy, it is only natural to expect different reactions from members of these three scientific communities dependent both on differences in shared traditions, values, problems and expectations as well as on the idiosyncrasies of their practitioners. In this talk we address the contributions of the overlooked Portuguese astronomical community, evaluating the actions and reactions of its members to the expedition, and assessing their role in the process of appropriation of relativity. We pay particular attention to the group of astronomers of the Astronomical Observatory of Lisbon (OAL) not only because its astronomers were Eddington’s contacts while preparing the expedition but also because over time they were able to stimulate a network of astronomers, by fostering a spirit of “school” among those who worked at the OAL or were trained there, and by being involved actively in the creation and development of other observatories.