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Piazzi

Piazzi is an Italian surname. The name is most prominently associated with Giuseppe Piazzi (1746–1826), an Italian Catholic priest, mathematician, and astronomer who directed the Palermo Observatory. Piazzi is best known for discovering the first asteroid, Ceres, in January 1801 during routine observations at Palermo. The object was found to move in an orbit between Mars and Jupiter and was subsequently named after the Roman goddess of agriculture, Ceres.

Piazzi’s discovery played a pivotal role in the early history of planetary science by revealing a new

The legacy of Piazzi in astronomy is primarily tied to the asteroid's discovery and the subsequent expansion

class
of
small
bodies
in
the
solar
system,
later
understood
to
comprise
a
belt
of
many
such
objects
between
Mars
and
Jupiter.
After
the
initial
discovery,
Ceres
was
observed
by
other
astronomers,
leading
to
refinements
of
its
orbit
and
the
recognition
that
the
solar
system
contains
numerous
minor
planets
in
addition
to
the
classical
planets.
Piazzi
continued
to
contribute
to
astronomy
through
precise
measurements
and
cataloging
efforts,
helping
to
advance
celestial
navigation
and
astrometry
in
his
era.
of
knowledge
about
minor
planets.
The
name
Piazzi
appears
in
scientific
credit
for
early
19th-century
observational
work,
and
Giuseppe
Piazzi
remains
the
most
enduring
figure
associated
with
the
surname.