Giovanni Domenico Cassini
Giovanni Domenico Cassini | |
|---|---|
| Born | 8 June 1625 |
| Died | 14 September 1712 (aged 87) |
| Nationality | Italian and French |
| Alma mater | The Jesuit College at Genoa |
| Known for | Cassini Division Cassini identity Cassini's laws Cassini oval First to observe the division in the rings of Saturn |
| Children | Jacques Cassini |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics astrology astronomy engineering |
| Institutions | University of Bologna |
| Signature | |
Giovanni Domenico Cassini (8 June 1625 – 14 September 1712) was an Italian-French mathematician, astronomer, astrologer and engineer. Cassini was born in Perinaldo, near Imperia, at that time in the County of Nice, part of the Savoyard state. He discovered four satellites of Saturn and noted the division of its rings, later named the Cassini Division. Cassini was also the first of his family to begin work on the project of creating a topographic map of France. In addition, he also created the first scientific map of the Moon.
The Cassini space probe, launched in 1997, was named after him and became the fourth to visit Saturn and the first to orbit it.