Born in Ferrara, for 21 years he was professor of astronomy at the University of Bologna, and in 1500 he also lectured in mathematics at Rome.
At Bologna, Novara was assisted by Copernicus, with whom he observed a lunar occultation of Aldebaran.
Novara in turn declared that his teacher had been the famous astronomer Regiomontanus, who was once a pupil of Georg Purbach.
Novara was initially educated at the University of Florence, at the time a major center of Neoplatonism.
Novara's writings are largely lost, except for a few astrological almanacs written for the university.