By Carolyn Collins Petersen
Eyes on the Skies:
Juan Carlos Forte
As a young child growing up in Buenos
Aires, astronomer Juan Carlos Forte discovered the Earth’s rotation using what
he calls “primitive sky charts” from an
encyclopedia his father gave him. That
was when astronomy became a force
in his life. “The sky was my driving engine,” he said. “Physics, mathematics,
philosophy, the political implications of
astronomy — those are all topics that I
enjoy. But they come in second place to
astronomy itself.”
Since then, Juan Carlos has continued
his life-long love affair with the universe.
It has taken him to the heights of Argentina’s scientific research community, and
allows him to share his fascination for
the cosmos with his many students and
Argentina’s Juan Carlos Forte has spent his
career researching globular clusters and
bringing new astronomers to a love of the sky.
Here, Juan Carlos is seen through the steel
structure that represents the local meridian
in Buenos Aires, at the entrance of the Galileo
Galilei Planetarium.
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GeminiFocus
June2012