this page honors Giovanni Domenico (Jean Dominique) Cassini (1625-1712)
Cassini was born in Perinaldo, Italy. After studying mathematics and astronomy, he became a professor of astronomy in Bologna.
After making extensive studies of the sun, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter, he was invited by the French king, Louis XIV, to come to Paris. He joined the newly founded Royal Academy of Sciences and became the first director of the Paris Observatory.