Divino Cosmo. 700 anni di Dante poeta del cielo

Divino Cosmo is the special day dedicated to the 700th anniversary of the Supreme Poet's death and to the Dantedì, the national day dedicated to Dante Alighieri, which, according to scholars, began his otherworldly journey with its Divine Comedy on March 25.

Are you passionate about astronomy and literature? The researchers of INAF (Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica) at the Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma, and the scientific staff of the Planetario di Roma Capitale, invite you to follow the online event Divine Cosmo, to deepen the celestial influences and the astronomical references in Dante’s Comedy.

Starting from 18 and for about 1 hour and a half, INAF researchers Francesco Poppi and Lucio Angelo Antonelli, Director of the Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma and the scientific staff of the Planetario di Roma Capitale Gabriele Catanzaro, Giangiacomo Gandolfi, Stefano Giovanardi, and Gianluca Masi conduct a free live broadcast on their respective Facebook, YouTube, and websites pages.

Their interventions will touch on various elements of Dante's astronomy, such as the comparison between poetic and scientific astronomy, the study of geology, the most significant astronomical passages of the Poem, and the meanings of the Moon in Dante's sky.

Dante's poetic vision fits into the context of the sky observation in the Middle Ages and into the critical work of the astronomers who devoted themselves to the study of the Divine Comedy.

Some of the interventions are made from websites about Dante and/or of astronomical importance, like the Casa di Dante and the Museo Astronomico Copernicano of the INAF-OA Rome in Monte Mario, which preserves volumes of medieval astronomy and significant instruments such as astronomical dials, astrolabes, and armillary spheres.

You can intervene with questions and comments on the live chat.