On this day in 1597 - April 13th - Giovanni Battista Hodierna was born.

Hodierna was a Sicilian astronomer at the court of the Duke of Montechiaro. Pre-dating Messier by over a century, he compiled a sky catalog that included a number of nebulous objects that might be confused with comets.


Last edited by Mona - Astronomy; 05/18/18 12:56 PM. Reason: date corrected