Presentation of the book "Red Mars" and meet the author Giovanni Caprara, Asiago, January 4, 2017

After the success of the Conference "Asiago Observatory Schiaparelli form traveling to Mars, passing through three decades of comets," Giovanni Caprara, writer and science columnist for Corriere della Sera, returns to Asiago to the presentation of his latest book Red Mars. During the evening you can attend dialogues with Martians Julius Pandey, Associate Professor of physics, history of science and technology at the University of Padua.

This is an event dedicated to the history of Martian observations: from first observations with the naked eye of the ancients, to the use of the most modern technologies of observation, passing through the infamous Martian canals. It will also discuss the geological history of Mars, in particular the track left by ancient rivers and seas, and of space missions that have allowed to reveal many secrets. We will focus on the unfortunate, at least in part, European mission Exomars, contributed by researchers padovani and national industries, and on future space exploration that more and more Nations are planning. In addition to addressing the technological challenges required by mission, are all looking for answers to these fateful questions: there are primordial life forms in the subsurface of Mars? In the past, when was this liquid water on its surface, he had the opportunity to develop life?

These and other astronomical stories will be discussed Wednesday January 4, 2017 to Asiago, territory that hosts the largest optical telescopes available on Italian soil belonging to the Department of physics and astronomy at the University of Padova and theAstronomical Observatory of Padova (INAF-Italian Institute for Astrophysics). With telescopes to Pennar and Cima Ekar are accomplished research on variable stars, supernovae, chasing comets and asteroids, it is engaged in the search for exoplanets, with intensive observational instruments designs and highly advanced technology.

For astronomy enthusiasts, surely this is an event not to be missed, to discover trivia and news from the universe.

MARS RED

In ancient times it was believed that the planet Mars – observed, feared and admired for its red colour, an eerie and ominous – could unleash wars, conflicts and passions among men. The story you hear begins at the dawn of mankind, as early as the third millennium BC, with stories and legends, and since then the red planet has never ceased to exert its charms, kindling the fire of knowledge and boosting scientific and technological experiments and more advanced.

Starting from observations by Giovanni Schiaparelli, which thanks to the discovery of "channels" in the second half of the nineteenth century he advanced the hypothesis of the presence of life (even smart according to some), passing through the feverish search for water, which engaged generations of scholars, to the missions that will allow the male to land directly on the Red sands, Mars today is increasingly "the planet next door", object of intellectual effort as well as of the collective imagery of Earth. The planet becomes not only a metaphor of elsewhere, twin can and similar to earth but receptacle of hopes and efforts, testing ground of world powers, symbol technology demonstration and, in very recent times, real chance of survival.

With Red Mars Giovanni Caprara, witnessed by numerous missions from the United States and Russia control centers, offers a careful reconnaissance on the past and on current and future projects of Science: between probe successes "Mariner" and the thuds of Mars, among the modern Soviet rover — robots that scour the planet, and Terraforming plans , the transformation of the Martian environment in a kind of "second Earth", you go to the discovery of how the dream on Mars has become scientific reality. With special attention to the Italy (Italian scientists and technologists are protagonists), which, by Schiaparelli, she never stopped looking at the sky and, especially, the Red Mars.

GIOVANNI CAPRARA

Caprara is scientific columnist of "Corriere della Sera".
He is the author of numerous publications on the history of space exploration and science translated into Europe and the United States, including:
The book of spaceflight (Vallardi); Space age (Knopf); Living space (Knopf); The adventure of Science: challenges, inventions and discoveries in the pages of the Corriere della Sera (Rizzoli); Scientists (Bolis Publisher); The Italy on the Shuttle (Knopf);
Exploring the solar system (with Margherita Hack);
Brief history of major scientific discoveries (Bompiani)
Italian history of space (Bompiani); Energy for Italy (Bompiani);
The Complete Encyclopedia of Space Satellites (FireFly);
Co-author of: Space Exploration and Humanity – A historical encyclopedia (ABC-CLIO).
Is curator of the Space of the National Museum of science and technology in Milan.
In 2000 he received the ConScientia as science journalist of the year award presented jointly by the University of Milan. In 2010 the European Science Writers Award of the Euroscience Foundation.
From 2011 is President of UGIS, Italian journalists Union. Made a Knight of the Republic in 2014; an asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter (discovered in Asiago) bears his name.
In 2016 "prize for science communication" of the Italian physical society (SIF) and member of the scientific jury Galileo literary prize of the municipality of Padua.

JULIUS PERUZZI

He is Associate Professor of the history of physics. He teaches at theUniversity of Padua, history of physics and the history of astronomy at Department of physics and astronomyand history of science and technology at the Department of information technology. Is Director of the Master of communication sciences of the University of Padua.
His research topics relate to the history of physics between the 17TH and 20th centuries, the foundations of quantum mechanics and the philosophy of physics.
In addition to research and teaching, Pande has pledged in the dissemination of scientific culture is collaborating with magazines and radio and television broadcasts, and through the design and construction of temporary and permanent exhibitions. Since 2007 is part of the scientific jury Galileo literary prize for popular science established by the city of Padua.
His publications in Italian:
-Space, Time, Universe. Past, present and future of the theory of relativity, g. Peruzzi and t. Regge UTET, Torino 2003.
-Future of Galileo. Science and technology from the seventeenth to the third millennium, g. Peruzzi and s. Talas, Skira, Milano 2009.
-Swirls and colours. The origin of the work of James Clerk Maxwell, g. Peruzzi, Dedalo, Bari 2010.

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