Giovanni Domenico Cassini

Also known as

• Giandomenico Cassini
• Jean-Dominique Cassini

Profile

Catholic astronomer, mathematician and engineer. He determined the period of rotation of Jupiter, Venus, and Mars, researched lunar librations and the zodiacal light, advanced a theory of cometary motion, discovered four Saturnian satellites, suggested oval paths in place of the ellipses of Kepler which were named Cassinians in his honor, and was first director of the Paris Observatory.

Born

• 8 June 1625 at Perinaldo, Republic of Genova (part of modern Italy

Died

• 14 September 1712 in Paris, France

MLA Citation

• “Giovanni Domenico Cassini”. People of the Faith. Saints.SQPN.com. 28 August 2010. Web. 21 May 2013. <http://saints.sqpn.com/giovanni-domenico-cassini/>