Paolo Farinella
Encyclopedia
Paolo Farinella was an Italian scientist very active in the planetary field and in the study of asteroids and small bodies of the Solar System
.
Paolo Farinella was born on 13 January 1953 in Migliarino, close to Ferrara in Italy. He received his degree in 1975 at the University and the "Scuola Normale Superiore
" of Pisa. After that he became a graduate student of Giuseppe (Bepi) Colombo
and worked as a research astronomer at the Observatory of Brera.
From 1982 to 1998, he was a university researcher in Pisa, at the Department of Mathematics and at the Scuola Normale Superiore, teaching Physics and Celestial Mechanics. In the period 1992–1994 he was visiting professor at the Nice Observatory with an ESA "Giuseppe Colombo" fellowship.
In summer 1998 he won a national competition for a position of associate professor of astronomy and astrophysics in the Italian university, and starting from late 1998 he taught at the University of Trieste.
Paolo Farinella died in Bergamo on 25 March 2000, due to heart failure.
He used his ideas in many fields of the space science that can be summarized in the following activities:
In 1980's Farinella was among the first scientists to conjecture the Yarkovsky
effect to be responsible for the migration of small asteroids from the main asteroid belt into different and potentially resonant orbits, with possible risks of impact on Earth.
Paolo Farinella was a member of the Editorial Board of "Icarus
" and an Associate Editor of "Icarus" and "Meteoritics and Planetary Science". He was a member of the International Astronomical Union
(IAU) and an affiliate member of the Division of Planetary Science (DPS) of the American Astronomical Society
as well as a member of the Solar System Working Group of the European Space Agency
.
He was very active into the astronomy popularization, writing dozens of articles that were mainly published by the Italian astronomical magazine “L'Astronomia”.
In June 2010, ten years after his death, an international workshop in his name was held in Pisa.
Asteroid 3248 Farinella
is named after him.
Solar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
.
Paolo Farinella was born on 13 January 1953 in Migliarino, close to Ferrara in Italy. He received his degree in 1975 at the University and the "Scuola Normale Superiore
Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa
The Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa, also known in Italian as Scuola Normale , is a public higher learning institution in Italy. It was founded in 1810, by Napoleonic decree, as a branch of the École Normale Supérieure of Paris...
" of Pisa. After that he became a graduate student of Giuseppe (Bepi) Colombo
Giuseppe Colombo
Giuseppe Colombo , better known by his nickname Bepi Colombo, was an Italian scientist, mathematician and engineer at the University of Padua, Italy Giuseppe Colombo (Padua, October 2, 1920 – Padua, February 20, 1984), better known by his nickname Bepi Colombo, was an Italian scientist,...
and worked as a research astronomer at the Observatory of Brera.
From 1982 to 1998, he was a university researcher in Pisa, at the Department of Mathematics and at the Scuola Normale Superiore, teaching Physics and Celestial Mechanics. In the period 1992–1994 he was visiting professor at the Nice Observatory with an ESA "Giuseppe Colombo" fellowship.
In summer 1998 he won a national competition for a position of associate professor of astronomy and astrophysics in the Italian university, and starting from late 1998 he taught at the University of Trieste.
Paolo Farinella died in Bergamo on 25 March 2000, due to heart failure.
The work as planetary scientist
His work as planetary scientist changed the view of the solar system revolutionizing the way orbital and collisional histories of asteroids are seen.He used his ideas in many fields of the space science that can be summarized in the following activities:
- Planetary science: small bodies, collisions, satellites, dynamics and space debris;
- Space geodesy and fundamental physics;
- Science popularization, social commitment of concerned scientists.
In 1980's Farinella was among the first scientists to conjecture the Yarkovsky
Yarkovsky effect
The Yarkovsky effect is a force acting on a rotating body in space caused by the anisotropic emission of thermal photons, which carry momentum...
effect to be responsible for the migration of small asteroids from the main asteroid belt into different and potentially resonant orbits, with possible risks of impact on Earth.
Paolo Farinella was a member of the Editorial Board of "Icarus
Icarus (journal)
Icarus is a premier scientific journal dedicated to the field of planetary science. It is published under the auspices of the American Astronomical Society's Division for Planetary Sciences . The longtime publisher was Academic Press, which is now part of Elsevier...
" and an Associate Editor of "Icarus" and "Meteoritics and Planetary Science". He was a member of the International Astronomical Union
International Astronomical Union
The International Astronomical Union IAU is a collection of professional astronomers, at the Ph.D. level and beyond, active in professional research and education in astronomy...
(IAU) and an affiliate member of the Division of Planetary Science (DPS) of the American Astronomical Society
American Astronomical Society
The American Astronomical Society is an American society of professional astronomers and other interested individuals, headquartered in Washington, DC...
as well as a member of the Solar System Working Group of the European Space Agency
European Space Agency
The European Space Agency , established in 1975, is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to the exploration of space, currently with 18 member states...
.
He was very active into the astronomy popularization, writing dozens of articles that were mainly published by the Italian astronomical magazine “L'Astronomia”.
In June 2010, ten years after his death, an international workshop in his name was held in Pisa.
Asteroid 3248 Farinella
3248 Farinella
3248 Farinella is an outer main-belt asteroid discovered on March 21, 1982 by Bowell, E. at Flagstaff .The asteroid is named after Paolo Farinella who was an Italian planetary scientist very active in the study of asteroids, collisions and space debris.- External links :*...
is named after him.