Please, that’s not all he studied, astronomy, engineering, mathematics, etc., but he was so good at what he did that he made history. He was so good and made such a big contribution to science that NASA named a space probe after him in 1997, which is no big deal. It was definitely the pinnacle, and that’s what we’re going to try to cover today… who he was and how he managed to do what he did.

Briefly, Giovanni Domenico Cassini was born in Perinaldo, a small settlement in northern Italy, then part of the Republic of Genoa. At that time, that is, in 1625. Little is known about his parents, other than that they were relatively wealthy people, they lived in the heart of the market, his mother came from a family of notaries, and his father was known to be from Tuscany. There is no doubt that the younger was taken under the protective wing of an uncle with a hand, Antonio Crovese in his name, who took care of his education in the early years of his life.

The man sent him to a Jesuit college in Genoa, then to the Abbey of San Fructuoso, also in the city, where Giovanni discovered that he had not only first-hand teachers, but a mind sharp enough to understand who they were. . telling him about those people. An outstanding student with a penchant for the exact sciences, he was recruited by a local politician, Cornelio Malvasia, a man with an interest in astrology and the like. In fact, he was more than passionate, because he put his shoulder, therefore his wallet, to the construction of the astronomical observatory in Panzano, and he also brought eminent astronomers to conduct research there. And Cassini also worked with them.

Thus our young man discovered that the study of astronomy had anointed his heart. It’s like he was made for it. As proof, at the age of only 25, he was appointed head of the astronomy department at the famous University of Bologna. There wasn’t much competition between us for the position, as it had been vacant for about four years, but it was still a great achievement. There was also the relationship of the Marquis of Malvasia, but in this case he really invested in a promising young man.

Cassini began, as did the concepts of the time, with the idea of ​​a solar system with the Earth in the center and the Sun and other planets revolving around it. Later, based on his own observations, he will go to the heliocentrism proposed by Copernicus. While working at the Panzano observatory, he studied comets, calculated the tilt of the Earth’s axis, observed the Sun, discovered the shadows of Jupiter’s moons for the first time, and calculated the duration of the planets’ rotations. Jupiter and Mars, and in the case of the latter had an error of only 2 and a half minutes from what is known today. He also brought notes on the speed of light, calculating that it is finite and can be determined mathematically.

Well, all these achievements brought him to the attention of the papacy, who invited him to join the Vatican researchers, but Cassini declined the offer. The man wanted freedom and not necessarily a corset for a lot of money. You know how it was back then. Let’s also add that during all this time, Giovanni also showed himself as a skilled engineer, a hydraulic specialist, a good mathematician, etc., thanks to which his fame spread throughout civilized Europe. He became so famous that King Louis XIV, the Sun King, invited him to Paris and offered him the position of director of the astronomical observatory there, a position in the Academy of Sciences, and enough money so that he would never have to worry. again, that he has nothing to finance his activities.

Probably, it was in Paris that Cassini made the most famous of his discoveries

It can also be said that France was Cassini’s great love, apart from astronomy. He liked it so much that he did not even go, and even changed his name to Jean-Dominique Cassini as soon as he received French citizenship. After research conducted at an observatory in Paris, he discovered the moons of Saturn, Iapetus, and Rhea (in 1671 and 1672, respectively). And not only discovered them, he also calculated their trajectory. With all the planets and moons known at the time, the total number of celestial bodies was 14, which he said was a heavenly tribute to King Louis. Some confusing association, but you have no idea how you were supposed to develop a relationship with such a crowned person. Perhaps because of this, Cassini waited another 12 years before announcing the discovery of two more moons, Tethys and Dione.

He also discovered the fact that there is a certain space between Saturn’s rings, a space that has been named…the Cassini Division. By the way, the shuttle that NASA sent to Saturn was the first to orbit the planet, so it was named Cassini. That he was the first to open the case. Just so you know. He also said that Saturn’s rings were composed of celestial bodies too small to be observed individually, which was absolutely true. He also produced the first map of the visible face of the Moon, a map so detailed that it remained the subject of research until the first profile photographs appeared.

He calculated the distance from the Earth to Mars, proved that the Earth is not a sphere, and later calculated the exact area of ​​France for the first time. Speaking about the last achievement, it must be said that it somewhat disappointed Louis, who was convinced that his country was much larger. In fact, he even said, sometimes jokingly, sometimes more seriously, that Cassini captured more territory than it had won in wars. Finally. If he was still working, Cassini also laid the foundations for the first topographical map of France, a project that was continued by his son, Jacques Cassini, and completed, also in the family, by his nephew, César-François.

In general, you understand. Cassini broke barrier after barrier in astronomy and proved to be one of the most inspired transfers France has ever made. As far as his contribution to science is concerned, this is about universality, and the fact that you and he belong to the same species should cheer you up a bit.

Bibliography:

Bernardi, G., 2017, Giovanni Domenico Cassini: A Modern Astronomer in the 17th Century, Springer Publishing, 197 p.

Maffioli C., 1994, Out of Galileo: The Science of Waters 1628-1718, Ed. Erasmus Publishing, 509 pages.