![]() | OAS - Osservatorio AstronomicoSormano |
| OAS >citations |
![]() | Named in honor of the mountain village of Sormano and its nearbyobservatory where this object was discovered. The facility, built in1986 by amateur astronomers of the Gruppo Astrofili Brianza, islocated on the PreAlps of Lombardy, in northern Italy, between thesouthern arms of the Lake of Como. Since its beginning, theobservatory was mainly involved in astrometric works of minor planetsand comets, in particular to the follow-up of Near Earth Objects. (fromMPC27130) |
![]() | Named for the area located among the cities of Milan, Como andLecco. Probably this name derives from the Celtic wordbrig(i.e., height). In fact Brianza is a verdant land, with lakes, hillsand prealpine mountains but also one of the most industrial andproductive part of Italy. It is also in honor of the amateurs group(of which the discoverers are members)Gruppo Astrofili Brianzain the celebration of fifteen years of activity. (fromMPC29149) |
![]() | Named in memory of the brothers Giovanni (1901-1965) and Angelo(1911-1990) Bernasconi, renowned italian amateur astronomers. Theformer was codiscoverer of comets 1941 VIII (although his discoverywas not registered because of a delay in the communications due to thewar in Europe), 1942 IV and 1948 IV. The latter was a serious studentof comets. His original studies on a method for determining the realshape and orientation of cometary tails were published in suchprestigious journals asMemorie della Societa'Astronomica Italiana andIcarus.Both brothers were active observers of comets, meteors and variablestars as AAVSO members. In 1965 they established in Saronno (northernItaly) a club of amateur astronomers, now namedGruppo AstrofiliGiovanni e Angelo Bernasconi. Citation provided by Luigi Pansecchiat the request of the discoverers. (fromMPC30803) |
![]() | Named in honor of Mario Carpino (b. 1957), italian astronomer atBrera Astronomical Observatory in Milan. He begun his scientific career bystudying satellite geodesy; from this experience he retained the tastefor extreme precision in orbit determination. He later applied theseskills to the study of the dynamics of solar system bodies beinginvolved in projects such asLONGSTOPandSPACEGUARD.He gave essential contributions to the development of public domainsoftware systems to process astrometric observations of asteroids andcomets and relative orbits computation. These works help many amateurastronomers to be significant contributors to the global efforts onasteroids. WhenThe SpaceguardFoundation was established hebecome its secretary. Citation prepared byA. Milaniat the request of the discoverers. (fromMPC31299) |
![]() | Named in memory of Ulrico Hoepli (1847-1935), the founder ofHoepli Publishing Company and HoepliInternational Bookstore in Milan. One of the greatest publishersof his time, Ulrico Hoepli published several important astronomy workswithin the 8000 titles the company printed; he was the publisher ofG. V. Schiaparelli. Today the company is still managed by the Hoeplifamily. A city patron and benefactor, in 1930 he donated aplanetariumto the city of Milan, among the first in the world. Citation preparedby Hoepli family. (fromMPC32791) |
![]() | Named in memory of Alessandro Volta (1745-1827), physicist at theUniversity of Pavia.His discovery of the significance of separating silver-zinc disk pairswith disks of moist cardboard was the key to his invention of thebattery, just 200 years ago. Volta also made important contributionsto meteorology and the study of gases, notably with his discovery ofmethane. (fromMPC34627 and 34673) |
![]() | Paolo dal Pozzo Toscanelli (1397-1482) was an Italian physician,astronomer, cosmographer and mathematician. Columbus may have used his map ofthe world on the 1492 voyage. Toscanelli was the first to plot observations ofcomets on star charts, thereby supplying considerably improved informationabout their sky positions. (fromMPC66724) |
![]() | Cesare Beccaria (1738-1794) was an Italian Enlightenment thinker. Inhis most important work,Dei delitti e delle pene, Beccariatook sides against the death penalty, supporting the educationalfunction of punishment. (fromMPC40703) |
![]() | The Sicilian amateur astronomer Giuseppe "Corrado" Matarazzo(b. 1946) is an experienced mathematician whose interests includeorbital computations. In 1995 he co-authoredElementi di Calcolodelle Orbite. (fromMPC36947) |
![]() | Named in memory of Lucio Battisti (1943-1998), innovative Italiancomposer and singer. He wrote many songs for himself and othersingers, among them "Emozioni" and "I giardini di marzo". Beginning in1973, he lived in a small village in the neighborhood of theobservatory where this minor planet was discovered. (fromMPC33389) |
![]() | Aurelio Robotti (1913-1994) was a lieutenant in the Italian Air Engineers andlater professor inaerospace engineering at the Turin Polytechnic. He began studies on rocket fuel using liquid oxygen and ethanol, and tested the first Italian-builtliquid-fuel missile. (fromMPC109631) |
![]() | Giuseppe (Bepi) Colombo (1920-1984), a mathematician at theUniversity of Padova,made fundamental contributions to the theory of resonances, notablywith regard to theKirkwood gaps and the rotation of Mercury. He also pioneered the use of planetary encounters forgravity assists inarranging space missions. (fromMPC40704) |
![]() | The astrophysicist and astronautUmberto Guidoni(b. 1954) made the first flight onboard of the Space Shuttle Columbiain 1996, performing electrodynamics experiments with theTSS satellite(ASI/NASA). Guidoni is the first Italian astronaut to achieve thetitle of Mission Specialist. (fromMPC41937) |
![]() | Gaetano Arturo Crocco (1877-1968), Italian pioneer in aeronautics andspace science, designed revolutionary airships and patented a cyclicpitch design for helicopter rotors. A professor of aeronautics inRome, he founded the Italian Rocket Society. (fromMPC45233) |
![]() | Pio Emanuelli (1888-1946) begun his astronomical career by working formany years at theVatican Observatory and teaching astronomy and history of astronomy at Rome University. He was also a scientific journalist andwell-known popularizer of astronomy. (fromMPC53174) |
![]() | John W. Brownlee (b. 1973) was the system administrator, principalprogramer and an observer on theCatalina Sky Surveyteam during 1998-2000. The citation was prepared by T. B. Spahr. (fromMPC44186) |
![]() | Johann Georg Palitzsch (1723-1788) was a farmer by profession and anastronomer by vocation. He recovered comet 1P/Halley on its firstpredicted return in 1758 and observed further comets, as well asvariable stars such as Mira and Algol. The citation was prepared byP. Brosche. (fromMPC45234) |
![]() | Paolo Angelo Nespoli (b. 1957) joined theEuropean Space Agency's European Astronaut Center in 1991 and its European Astronaut Corps in 1998. The second Italian Mission Specialist, he made his first flight aboard the Discovery in 2007 for the construction of the International Space Station. (fromMPC61267) |
![]() | Donald Duck, the famous character of Walt Disneys cartoons, has amused generationsof children and adults alike. (fromMPC72199) |
![]() | Carlo Succi (1919-2000), a professor of physics at theUniversity of Milan,was also director of thelocal sectionof theIstituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare.His interests ranged from a pioneering study of cosmic rays to thedevelopment of the Milan 50-MeV cyclotron. (fromMPC44110) |
![]() | Cielobuiois the Italian association against light pollution.Cielobuioplayed a fundamental role in Lombardy to support the passage of aregional law, one of the most advanced in the world. Through itselectronic mailing list,Cielobuioconnects both amateur and professional astronomers. (fromMPC41572) |
![]() | This British rock band, formed in the early 1960s, adopted the name Procol Harum in 1967. It is said either to have been the name of a friend's cat or to represent, although in formally incorrect Latin, ``far from these things''. (fromMPC49099) |
![]() | Alessandro Manzoni (1785-1873) was an Italian poet and novelist. He is mainlyremembered as the author of the novel I promessi sposi (The Betrothed), amasterpiece of world literature, about the story of a long-deferred marriage of twopeasants named Renzo and Lucia. (fromMPC87993) |
![]() | Federico Ernesto Delpino (1946-2007), an astronomer at theBologna Observatory, began his scientific career by studying x-ray and \gamma -ray sources and the microwave cosmic background. He contributed to the creation of the electronic network at the University of Bologna and participated in astronomical popularization. (fromMPC61268) |
![]() | Alessandro Bisentini and Francesco Villa met in Milanat the Center School of Theatre in 1995. In a short time they became apopular Italian comedian duo, and their success was consolidated by a bookin 2001 and a movie in 2005. The name was suggested by the second discoverer,a long-time friend of both comedians. (fromMPC56613) |
![]() | The Tuscan astronomer Giovanni Battista Donati (1826-1873) madeimportant contributions to the early development of stellar spectroscopy,being also the first to observe a cometary spectrum. He was director of theFlorence Observatory and discoverer of six comets, among them thespectacular naked-eye comet C/1858 L1. (fromMPC52324) |
![]() | Giancarlo Vospini (1935?2017) was an electronic engineer by profession and amateur astronomer by vocation. He was a member of the Sormano Astronomical Observatory and particularly active in popularization.. (fromMPC107739) |
![]() | The career ofPaolo Maffei(b. 1926), former director of theCatania Observatoryand an astronomer atArcetri,Bologna,Asiago andHamburg,has covered comets, variable stars, evolution of the universe, historyof astronomy and popularization of astronomy through many inspiredbooks. (fromMPC46683) |
![]() | Luigi Broglio (1911-2001), aereonautical engineer and dean of the aerospace engineering school of the University of Rome ''La Sapienza'' , conceived and directed the San Marco Project, a cooperativespace initiative between Italy and the U.S. The Italian space launch facility San Marco was also completed under his direction. (fromMPC 49675) |
![]() | Franco Battiato (b. 1945), Sicilian polyhedric artist, is an honorary member of the Associazione Astrofili Ionico-Etnei. He turnshis feelings into music, painting and cinema. Through the telescope he observes the Universe, deriving inspiration for his songs. (fromMPC50463) |
![]() | Fede Paronelli (1893-1944) held a degree in philosophy and studiedastronomy with Camille Flammarion in Paris. During 1931--1942 she was atireless lecturer at Civico Planetario Hoepli in Milano. During hundreds ofconferences she illustrated the beauties of the skies, bridging togetherscience, poetry, music and philosophy. (fromMPC53954) |
![]() | Radhakhrishna Dinesh Somanah (b. 1960) has been a professor of physics and astrophysics at the University of Mauritius since 1987. As one of the three pioneers of professional astronomy in the republic, he was particularly involved in the construction of the Mauritius Radio Telescope. (fromMPC59922) |
![]() | With its original sound, Creedence Clearwater Revival, frequentlyreferred to as CCR or simply "Creedence", was an American rock band thatgained popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s. (fromMPC66725) |
![]() | Luigino Giacomel (b. 1960) is an engineer, in the last 20 years Luigino has designed andhelped with the start-up of some of the most important telescopes andradio-telescopes in the world, such asLBT ,VLT ,ALMA andE-ELT . (fromMPC80327) |
![]() | Graziano Ventre (b. 1954) is an active member of theOsservatorio Astronomico Sormanoand fromhis personal observatory , near his home in Bellagio (Italy), heobtains astrometric positions of comets and pictures of deep sky objects. (fromMPC112430) |
![]() | Patrizia Zuaboni (b. 1958), an affectionate friend of both discoverers, contributedto the idea that they should get married. (fromMPC68447) |
![]() | Bormio is a very ancient and pleasant village in the Rhaetian Alps,200 km from Milan. It hosts a biennial meeting on planetary sciences,andthe name was suggested by A. Manara on the occasion of the fourth meeting in the series. (fromMPC45341) |
![]() | Antonio Giorgilli(b. 1949), professor of mathematical physics at the Universityof Milan, distinguished himself in his productive career with numerous works inperturbation theory of Hamiltonian systems, with applications to studies of the longtermorbital stability of major and minor planets. (fromMPC67760) |
![]() | Massimo Cecconi (b. 1965) has worked on the GAIA mission and for the InternationalSpace Station. (fromMPC73983) |
![]() | Giussano, a town in the heart of Brianza, is famous for itsfurniture design companies. Among the town's historical monuments andvillas is the Villa Sartirana, recently renovated. Home to the locallibrary, this villa hosts in its decorated halls cultural events,including some aimed at astronomical popularization. (fromMPC71349) |
![]() | Guido Monzino (1928-1988) was an Italian explorer who followed the Latin maxim "GradatimConscenditur Ad Alta". The Villa del Balbianello on Lake Como is now a museum dedicated toMonzino's expeditions. (fromWGSBN BullWGSBN Bull. 2, #16) |
![]() | Salvatore (Totuccio) Grisanti (1947-2020) was an Italian professor of literature andphilosophy. He was a connoisseur of the history of the artistic heritage of his country and was asupporter of the creation of the Gal Hassin Astronomical Park in Isnello (Sicily). Name proposedby M. Di Martino. (fromWGSBN BullWGSBN Bull. 3, #11) |
![]() | Luigi Ferioli (b. 1938), amateur astronomer, enthusiastic popularizerof astronomy, skilful telescope and sundial maker, andauthor ofAppunti di ottica astronomica. (fromMPC76675) |
![]() | Luigi Gussalli (1855-1950) was a mechanical engineer and designer ofan experimental "double reaction" engine in 1920. He spent aconsiderable part of his life in studying and developing space-vehiclepropulsion application devices to travel to the moon. (fromMPC46112) |
![]() | The main research activity of Italian astronomer Giovanni Pareschi (b. 1966)concerns the development of astronomical instrumentation, particularly optics forspace-based and ground-based telescopes. Since 2008 he has been director of theIstituto Nazionale di Astrofisica Brera Astronomical Observatory in Milan. (fromMPC68448) |
![]() | Tomaso Belloni (1961-2023) was a prominent Italian astrophysicist recognizedinternationally for his research on compact objects andγ-ray emissions. He was also anactive science communicator and photographer. (fromWGSBN Bull WGSBN Bull. 4, #6) |
![]() | Emilio Molinari (b. 1963), developed his astronomical career in BreraObservatory, Milan, beginning with the study of distant clusters of galaxiesthen shifting to technology group. He now serves as director of theTelescopio Nazionale Galileo and Rapid Eye Mount observatories. (fromMPC77507) |
![]() | Rinaldo Monella (b. 1948) is a well-known Italian amateur astronomerwho has specialized in photoelectric photometry, making in particularobservations of novae and cataclysmic variables. He has written manyarticles for astronomical periodicals and is a member of severalItalian and international associations. (fromMPC46013) |
![]() | Ivan Osipovich Yarkovsky (1844-1902) was a talented Russian engineer whoput forward the idea that asymmetric heating of the planets by the sun canproduce an additional force. The``Yarkovsky Effect''is indeed noticeable in the motions of some artificial earth satellites and small minor planets. (fromMPC57424) |
![]() | Italian astronautRoberto Vittori(b. 1964) made the first flight onboard the Soyuz capsule in 2002, docking with the International SpaceStation and performing medical experiments. He is the third astronautfrom the European Space Agency to visit the ISS. (fromMPC46013) |
![]() | Ginevra Trinchieri (b. 1955) has worked on galaxies, groups, clustersand their evolution, particularly on their high energy properties. She iscurrently the president of theItalian Astronomical Society and the Italian representative and outreach contact in theIAU . (fromMPC110634) |
![]() | Celestino Bonacina (b. 1947) made his private observatory available to schoolchildren for manyyears. In the 1980s his experience was essential for the building of theOsservatorio Astronomico Sormano, where this minor planet was discovered. (fromWGSBN BullWGSBN Bull. 2, #2) |
![]() | Luigi Carnera (1875-1962) began his career as Max Wolf's assistant at the HeidelbergObservatory, Germany, where he discovered sixteen new asteroids in 1901/02.Later, he taught astronomy in Genoa and was director of Trieste and Naples Observatories. (fromMPC94390) |
![]() | Gianpietro Marchiori (b. 1953) is the founder ofEIE Group, an Italiancompany that has been involved in the construction of optical and radiotelescopes around the world. Under his enthusiastic management, projectssuch asVLT,LBT,ALMA andE-ELT were developed. (fromMPC103025) |
![]() | Claudio Elidoro (b. 1956), a graduate in astronomy from BolognaUniversity, is active in the popularization of science. He has written manyarticles for Italian astronomical magazines about the minor bodies of thesolar system. (fromMPC57951) |
![]() | Italian amateur astronomer Luca Invernizzi (b. 1966) is founderof the Associazione Astrofili Valtellinesi and co-promoter of the ``G. Piazzi''Observatory. Author of a book and many articles about astronomy in Italiannewspapers and magazines, he is an active member ofCielobuio, ananti-light-pollution association. (fromMPC57952) |
![]() | Mariola Magnoni Tieghi (b. 1934), former president of Como Inner WheelClub, promoted with strength and devotion the values of quality of life inevery social and cultural environment. (fromMPC51981) |
![]() | Pierangelo Ghezzi (b. 1956) is an Italian amateur astronomer. He has made observations ofvariable stars and co-discovered some minor planets. (fromWGSBN BullWGSBN Bull. 2, #2) |
![]() | Ezio Bosso (b. 1971) is an Italian pianist, director and composer of classicalmusic, who is one of the most influential musician of his generation. He has performedwith the world's premier orchestras and received many awards (fromMPC98714) |
![]() | Bill Allen (b. 1947) and Sally Beach (b. 1950) are publishing and lifepartners who produce daily minor-objectnews onlineto inform the public andto serve those engaged in minor-object science, including especially amateurastronomers. (fromMPC51981) |
![]() | Fabio Fazio (b. 1964) debuted in October 1983 at RAI, the Italian publicservice broadcaster. Beginning in 2003 he has been conducting a talk showwith scientists, writers and other celebrities. (fromMPC66727) |
![]() | In 1905 Eugenio Stoppani (1850-1917) erected a mountain refuge, now the siteof the Sormano Observatory, in the place where his father Edoardo Stoppani (1818-1892) died accidentally. Antonio Stoppani (1824-1891) (probably a distant relative)was a distinguished palaeontologist. (fromMPC101216) |
![]() | Tommaso Maccacaro (b. 1951) has worked in high-energy astrophysics and x-ray astronomy since 1976. He is currently director of the INAF-Osservatorio di Brera in Milan and chairman of the European Space Agency Astronomy Working Group (2007-2009). (fromMPC59924) |
![]() | Elia Millosevich (1848-1919) was professor of astronomy at the IstitutoNautico in Venice and later director of the Collegio Romano Observatory,where he enthusiastically observed minor planets and comets. He was alsoskilled in computing orbits, notably for (433) Eros. (fromMPC52326) |
![]() | Pepe Tanzi (b. 1945) studied at the Politecnico of Milano, where he graduated in architecture in 1969. He started working as an industrial designer with special attention to lighting systems. One of his latest products allows the light to be placed where it is needed, thereby saving energy. (fromMPC61269) |
![]() | Bellagio is a world-famous tourist destination situated on the LakeComo a few kilometers north of theSormano Astronomical Observatory. (fromMPC54177) |
![]() | Valentina Aliprandi (1981 - 2014) was an Italian pastry chef by profession who had apassion for theater. She joined Veliero, an association that promotes, through theater, theintegration of young people with physical and mental disabilities. (fromWGSBN Bull WGSBN Bull. 5, #1) |
![]() | Vasilij G. Chiorny (b. 1953) is a prolific asteroid photometrist at theKharkiv Observatory. He is the principal discoverer of one binary asteroid and co-discovererof several others, using the photometry technique. He has co-authored a number ofpapers on binary and other asteroids. Name suggested by P. Pravec and A. Harris. (fromMPC100607) |
![]() | Enrico Colzani (b. 1956) has dedicated many years to popularizing and teaching astronomy.Recently his efforts have been directed towards the realization of a planetarium near theOsservatorio Astronomico Sormano. (fromWGSBN BullWGSBN Bull. 2, #2) |
![]() | Rodolphe Cledassou (1965-2023) was a French space engineer. He was ProjectManager for theFrench Space Agency's Simbol-X, ATHENA/XIFU, ARIEL and EUCLID programs and Technical Director of theFrench Nuclear Physics Institute IN2P3. (fromWGSBN Bull WGSBN Bull. 4, #2) |
![]() | Luigi Colzani (1922-2015) was an enthusiastic and helpful collaborator atSormano Astronomical Observatory. He built hand-crafted cabinets to improve the useof the observatory by amateur astronomers and enthusiasts who frequent it. (fromMPC98714) |
![]() | Davide De Martin (b. 1971) is an Italian amateur astronomer, author andpopularizer of astronomy. He pioneered the creation of color images from DigitizedSky Survey data, and has produced a series of Hubble Telescope's most iconic images. (fromMPC73985) |
![]() | Walter Albisetti (1957-2013) was a Professor at the Faculty of Medicine of theUniversity of Milano. He was also the Health Director of the corps de ballet at theLa Scala Theatre of Milano and he led several medical projects in Africa. (fromMPC85915) |
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