The Italian Connection

Most people familiar with the history of the AAVSO know about our 'French Connection', the long friendship and history of cooperation between the AAVSO and the AFOEV. But we have even longer and deeper ties to our variable star observing friends in Italy. In fact, our 'Italian Connection' goes back to before the AAVSO was born.

Early attempts at organizing amateur astronomers included the Society for Practical Astronomy (SPA) in the early 1900's. The Variable Star Section of the SPA included several observers who would eventually defect from the SPA to form the fledgling AAVSO a couple years later. Giavonni Battista Lacchini from Bologna, Italy was a member of the SPA and followed Olcott when he decided to form the AAVSO in 1911. He was considered one of the AAVSO's Old Guard.

Lacchini became the first international member of the AAVSO and remains one of the all time leading observers in history.  Lacchini continued sending observations, eventually accumulating over 65,000 of them, until he death in 1967. Lacchini crater on the moon is named after him. Janet Mattei was the first Giovanni Battista Lacchini Award winner for collaboration with amateur astronomers, in 1995.

Italian observers continued to submit observations through the years, and several of them have made substantial contributions over time. Here is a list of some of these ambitious observers, some who are still active today, and their totals.