Asteroid Ettore Cittadini named after famous gynecologist
The asteroid 127975 has officially been named Ettore Cittadini, an Italian gynecologist and pioneer of assisted reproductive technology. The prestigious recognition from the International Astronomical Union will be presented on Tuesday, November 5, during the Gal Hassin Event 2024 in Isnello. The naming of asteroid 2003 HG22 after the renowned gynecologist was proposed by Sabrina Masiero, an astrophysicist at the Gal Hassin Foundation, and presented to the IAU Commission by Mario Di Martino, co-founder of Gal Hassin.
“It seems unusual, doesn’t it? An asteroid dedicated to a gynecologist,” Cittadini humorously remarks. “I am immensely grateful for this recognition, which stems from the deep bond I have formed with Sabrina Masiero. They probably wanted to reward me for my dedication to my work and for the ideas and advice I have contributed to the establishment of the astronomical observatory. It is an incredible resource for Sicily, an important reference point for scientific research. Every Sicilian should visit this magical place nestled in the mountains.”
The November 5 event will feature professors Telmo Pievani from the University of Padua and Massimo Polidoro, who teaches at the University of Milan-Bicocca and the University of Padua. Both are recipients of the Gal Hassin 2024 award. Other prestigious international figures from the fields of culture and astrophysics will also be in attendance. The asteroid Ettorecittadini was discovered by Fabrizio Bernardi of SpaceDys and Mario Di Martino on April 24, 2003, at the Campo Imperatore astronomical observatory of the National Institute of Astrophysics. Belonging to the Main Asteroid Belt, between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, it has a diameter of approximately 2 kilometers and an orbital period of 3,372 years (one year on this asteroid is about 3.3 Earth years).
“The Gal Hassin is involved in numerous projects and observational campaigns of Near-Earth asteroids,” the organizers conclude. “There is expected to be significant synergy with ESA’s FlyEye, which will be installed on the summit of Mount Mufara in the coming years, for more efficient global planetary defense and to cover those sky spaces still not observed by ground telescopes for one great purpose: safeguarding life and our planet.”
L’asteroide Ettore Cittadini prende il nome dal famoso ginecologo: «Grato per questo riconoscimento»
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