Paolo Maffei
Paolo Maffei (born 1926 in Arezzo , † March 1, 2009 ) was an Italian astronomer .
Short biography
Maffei graduated from Florence . He then worked as an astronomer at observatories in Arcetri , Asiago , Bologna and Hamburg . He later became head of the Catania observatory .
Maffei worked on comets , variable stars , the evolution of the universe, and the history of astronomy . He was one of the pioneers of infrared astronomy . In 1968 he discovered the giant elliptical galaxy Maffei 1 and the barred spiral galaxy Maffei 2 , the largest members of the Maffei group, while observing in the near infrared range .
He became known through several publications, including about Halley's Comet .
The asteroid (18426) Maffei was named after him in 2002.
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Maffei, Paolo |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Italian astronomer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1926 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Arezzo , Italy |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 1, 2009 |