Ileana Chinnici is an astronomer at the INAF-Palermo Astronomical Observatory. Her field of research is the history of astronomy and she is the author of many publications in this field. In 1996-2004 she was curator of the astronomical museum of the Observatory and is presently in charge of its historical collections. Her interests are focused on the history of astronomy and astrophysics in the 19th century, especially exploiting archival resources. She is currently a member of the Organizing Committee of the Commission C3 (History of Astronomy) of the International Astronomical Union.
Brother Guy Consolmagno SJ is Director of the Vatican Observatory. He is a native of Detroit, Michigan, received SM and SM degrees from MIT, and earned his PhD in Planetary Sciences from the University of Arizona in 1978. His scientific research explores the physical properties of meteorites and their connection with origin and evolution of asteroids and planets. Along with more than 200 scientific publications, he is the author of six popular astronomy books. In 2014 he received the Carl Sagan Medal from the American Astronomical Society Division for Planetary Sciences for excellence in public communication in planetary science.
