Speaker
Description
A commemorative event will be held in Pisa on 16 December 2026 to mark the bicentenary of Giovanni Battista Donati, one of the most prominent Italian astronomers of the 19th century. The celebration will retrace the main professional achievements of the scientist, obtained in just 20 years of activity (from 1852 until his premature death in 1873). Donati was a pioneer in the application of spectroscopy to astronomy (the emerging astrophysics), creating the first classification of stellar spectra and being the first to observe the spectrum of a comet; he discovered 5 comets, including C/1858 L1, one of the most spectacular astronomical events of the 19th century; observing several auroras, he proposed the establishment of a new discipline dedicated to the study of the influence of solar activity on our planet, cosmic meteorology (a forerunner of modern space weather); he founded and held the scientific direction of what later became the Officine Galileo, a company of worldwide significance and renown; finally, he participated in the reorganization of astronomical studies in the Kingdom of Italy, designing and founding a new and modern institution, the Arcetri Observatory in Florence.