Gianluca Masi

Gianluca Masi (born 22 January 1972) is an Italian astrophysicist and astronomer, as well as a discoverer of minor planets and variable stars.

[3] At the same time, he devoted a lot of effort to science communication, on the international stage.

[3] His professional interests include asteroids and comets, variable stars and extrasolar planets, with many contributions in all those fields.

He was able to determine the date that Vincent van Gogh painted Starry Night Over the Rhone by studying the star placement.

[3] The Nysian asteroid 21795 Masi, discovered by his college Franco Mallia in 1999, was named in his honor.