“The universe, limitless beauty” – La Voce di Rovigo

roberto ragazzoni from rovigo, Emeritus Professor at the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Padua and Director of the Paduan Astronomical Observatory, he is the new President of the National Institute of Astrophysics.

How did your appointment come?

“I participated in a call from the ministry and was shortlisted. The former president’s term ended in mid-February, and everyone was waiting for an appointment. There was no information about when he would arrive and I was not sure they would choose me. It was a positive surprise, and I “Very happy.”

What is the study of astrophysics and the universe for you?

“The study of the universe is beautiful, it is a very comprehensive study with a portion of intrinsic beauty: looking up at the starry sky on a dark night, even for a researcher, generates astonishment. The enormous variety of celestial bodies ranging from the Moon to the Sun to the large-scale structure of the universe, It gave rise to cosmology, a branch of astronomy that studies the universe as a whole. The study of astronomy ranges across many sectors from the planets and the nearest stars to exotic objects such as black holes or the centers of galaxies: phenomena that we observe but for which we have not yet been able to provide an accurate explanation “The work is so enormous that it is exciting in any direction you look at it.”

What are the new frontiers of astrophysics and space research?

“In observing planets outside the solar system, at the moment, we only observe the easiest ones to measure, but we are moving towards cataloging the huge amount that is still unknown. We have been able to count and measure almost all the stars in our galaxy in the visible field, and there are plans to do this at wavelengths As different as infrared radiation. We have moved from the vicinity of the Sun to our Milky Way Galaxy. Multi-messenger astronomy is developing: new telescopes and antennas for gravitational waves, phenomena that are in some cases linked to visible phenomena observed using optical or radio telescopes. It is an astronomy that not only reaches to electromagnetic waves like light, but also to neutrinos and gravitational waves. We would like to build a telescope capable of mapping the entire sky at the same time, so that events such as supernova explosions and the formation of gravitational waves will be visible as they happen. In doing so, you will make mistakes but the important thing is Making new mistakes and not repeating mistakes that others have already made.”

What program do you plan to move forward with as President? Are there any initiatives for our lands?

“I was director of the Padua Observatory in which we often tried to involve the region, the industrial chain and the cultural activity. Now we do it at the national level, and it is important for the industrial side: by building new things, we increase the capacity of the production chain.”

Even Veneto President Luca Zaia wanted to emphasize the exceptional nature of this event.

“On the day of the rare and astonishing phenomenon of a total eclipse, we from the Veneto proudly celebrate the appointment of Roberto Ragazoni as President of the National Institute of Astrophysics.” Thus, the President of the Region, Luca Zaia, welcomes the appointment of Professor Ragazzoni, He will replace Marco Tafani and will be responsible for ENAAF for the next four years.

Member of the Accademia dei Concordi in Rovigo and of the Accademia Galileiana in Padua, he is also a corresponding member of the Accademia dei Lincei. We read in the “CV” of his appointment as academician at Lincei that “Ragazzoni was born in Venice in 1966 and graduated from the Technical Institute of Rovigo, where he lives. He graduated in astronomy with distinction at the University of Padua, and developed the photon counting system installed on the Copernicus telescope.” In Asiago, where he began his career in technological development with the aim of studying the universe. Regular astronomer since 2000 at the Arcetri Astrophysical Observatory, then at the Padua Astronomical Observatory since 2006, of which he has been Director since 2018.

“For a world-famous astronomer, always ‘looking’ for new planets to study – comments Zaya – this is a new and challenging task on Earth. An award that rewards his passion, experience and great desire to innovate in a field that today grows at the speed of light and also creates great opportunities for the Veneto production fabric. With his rich curriculum full of discoveries and international recognitions, I am sure that Professor Ragazzoni, with his high intuition in the field of innovations, will further contribute to enriching the wealth of knowledge of the National Authority. We wish him and his team all the best in their work so that Italian astrophysicists can continue to play a leading role in terrestrial and space projects.