Giovanni Domenico Cassini and the birth of Big Science

ASK ANY ASTRONOMER — professional or amateur — what comes to mind when they hear the name Cassini and they’ll probably mention the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn, or perhaps Cassini’s Division, the largest of the many gaps in Saturn’s famous rings. But more likely than not, they’ll know few details about the life and accomplishments of 17th-century astronomer Giovanni Domenico Cassini.

Co-naming one of the most complex and important space missions after Cassini is a clue that he must have played a highly significant role in the history of science. But why isn’t he mentioned in the same breath as Galileo and Newton? When we consider Cassini’s many important achievements, his relative obscurity seems all the more puzzling and unjust.

From Italy to France

Cassini’s life was that of a ‘courtier scientist,’ spent conducting research at the behest of kings and noblemen. This was typical for prominent scientific figures of the time, and Cassini was especially successful.

He was born on June 8, 1625, in the northwestern Italian village of Perinaldo, near the border with France. As a young man, Cassini attended formal studies at the