Italian signature for the discovery of a supernova

The discovery of a new supernova , designated SN2025ovr and located in the spiral galaxy UGC4973 , which is located in the constellation of Ursa Major, approximately 350 million light years away, bears an Italian signature : the signature is that of Giancarlo Cortini , head of the Monte Maggiore Astronomical Observatory in Predappio , in the province of Forlì-Cesena, who on the night of 24 June made his 34th scientific discovery .

Cortini is now retired and can devote a lot of time to his passion: during research evenings , he images and monitors about 50 galaxies per hour , for a total of 200 to 400 galaxies in a single night . The Monte Maggiore site is a good location from which to observe the sky: it is sufficiently elevated, about 400 meters above sea level, far enough from artificial light sources and has a high percentage of clear nights.

"The Predappio Municipal Administration is proud of its long-standing collaboration with Giancarlo Cortini," commented Mayor Roberto Canali, "and congratulates him on yet another excellent result." The Monte Maggiore Observatory frequently opens its doors for educational astronomy evenings, allowing participants to observe the sky both through a telescope and with the naked eye. During these free events, scheduled almost every Friday in July and August, Cortini himself guides the public in contemplating the summer starry sky.