Maura Tombelli (born 1952 in Montelupo Fiorentino) is an Italian amateur

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, g ...

who began her training in

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...

as an observer of variable stars. She is a prolific discoverer of almost 200

minor planet According to the International Astronomical Union (IAU), a minor planet is an astronomical object in direct orbit around the Sun that is exclusively classified as neither a planet nor a comet. Before 2006, the IAU officially used the term ''minor ...

s, including the main-belt asteroid 7794 Sanvito, and a member of the

American Association of Variable Star Observers The American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) is an international nonprofit organization, founded in 1911, focused on coordinating, analyzing, publishing, and archiving variable star observations made largely by amateur astronomers. ...

Career

She is known as the only Italian female astrometrist. Together with Italian astronomers

Ulisse Munari Ulisse Munari (born 1960) is an Italian astronomer and discoverer of minor planets. He is Professor of Astronomy at the University of Padua, and works at the Asiago Observatory. He is a member of the Radial Velocity Experiment (RAVE) team, an al ...

and

Giuseppe Forti Giuseppe Forti (December 21, 1939 – July 2, 2007) was an Italian astronomer and a discoverer of asteroids. Forti was a trained solar physicist, and worked at Harvard's ''Radio Meteor Project'' and later at the Arcetri Observatory, in Florence, ...

, she initiated a five-year survey of minor planets at

Asiago Astrophysical Observatory The Asiago Astrophysical Observatory (''Osservatorio Astrofisico di Asiago'', or Asiago Observatory for short) is an Italian astronomical observatory (IAU code 043) owned and operated by the University of Padua. Founded in 1942, it is located on ...

in 1994. She also shared a lot of observing with the discoverers, especially the follow-up of

near-Earth object A near-Earth object (NEO) is any small Solar System body whose orbit brings it into proximity with Earth. By convention, a Solar System body is a NEO if its closest approach to the Sun (perihelion) is less than 1.3 astronomical units (AU). ...

s (NEOs), and she contributed to the discovery of 15817 Lucianotesi, the first NEO found from Italy. She is currently involved in a project to build a new

observatory An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysical, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. His ...

( Osservatorio di Montelupo) near the town of Montelupo, where she lives.

Awards and honors

The main-belt asteroid 9904 Mauratombelli, discovered by Italian astronomers

Andrea Boattini Andrea Boattini (born 16 September 1969) is an Italian astronomer and a prolific discoverer of minor planets and comets. Career After developing a growing interest in minor planets, he graduated in 1996 from the University of Bologna with a t ...

and

Luciano Tesi Luciano Tesi (; born 10 December 1931) is an Italian veterinarian, amateur astronomer, discoverer of many minor planets, and director of the San Marcello Pistoiese Observatory. In 1980, he founded the "Amateur Group of Pistoiese Mountain" ( it, ...

in 1997, is named in her honour.

List of discovered minor planets

References

External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20100910014553/http://www.meteoritedoro.it/albo_doro_tombelli.htm * http://www.nove.firenze.it/vediarticolo.asp?id=97.05.21.00.14 {{DEFAULTSORT:Tombelli, Maura 1952 births Living people People from Montelupo Fiorentino 21st-century Italian astronomers 20th-century Italian women scientists Women astronomers Discoverers of asteroids 20th-century Italian astronomers