Gianluca Masi
| Asteroids discovered: 26 | |
|---|---|
| 10931 Ceccano | February 16, 1998 |
| 20433 Prestinenza | February 14, 1999 |
| 20513 Lazio[1] | September 10, 1999 |
| 21661 Olgagermani | September 1, 1999 |
| 21685 Francomallia | September 11, 1999 |
| 21799 Ciociaria[1] | October 1, 1999 |
| (25337) 1999 PK | August 6, 1999 |
| 40409 Taichikato | September 6, 1999 |
| 49501 Basso | February 13, 1999 |
| (65487) 2003 CD20[2] | February 9, 2003 |
| 66458 Romaplanetario | August 22, 1999 |
| 73453 Ninomanfredi[1] | July 13, 2002 |
| 74625 Tieproject[1] | September 10, 1999 |
| 79641 Daniloceirani[1] | September 19, 1998 |
| (95784) 2003 FS6 | March 28, 2003 |
| 98722 Elenaumberto | December 22, 2000 |
| 216591 Coetzee | July 21, 2002 |
| (220296) 2003 CX20[2] | February 13, 2003 |
| 243637 Frosinone | October 8, 1999 |
| (253311) 2003 CC20[2] | February 11, 2003 |
| 269762 Nocentini | October 4, 1999 |
| (317631) 2003 CB20[2] | February 11, 2003 |
| (317633) 2003 CY20[2] | February 13, 2003 |
| (435127) 2007 EE88 | March 14, 2007 |
| |
Gianluca Masi is an Italian astrophysicist.
He started his interest in astronomy at childhood, later becoming a professional astronomer, earning a PhD in astronomy in 2006. At the same time, he devoted a lot of efforts to science communication, on the international stage.
His professional interests include asteroids and comets, variable stars and extrasolar planets, with many contributions in all those fields. He was able to determine the date that Vincent van Gogh painted Starry Night Over the Rhone by studying the star placement.[1]
In 2006 he started the Virtual Telescope project (part of Bellatrix Astronomical Observatory), consisting in several robotic telescopes, remotely available in real-time over the Internet. Through this system, real time, online observing sessions are performed, sharing the universe with the world. More than 120,000 individuals each year observe the sky through the Virtual Telescope.
He received [2]a number of prizes and acknowledgements for his scientific activities.
References
- ↑ "Scientist uses stars to date Van Gogh art". UPI. 28 September 2007. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
- ↑ The Virtual Telescope Project website