The Universe of Dante Alighieri
“The Divine Comedy” by Dante Alighieri is the story of a journey through the universe—a sort of ante litteram science fiction book, written as a poem. Dante had a good knowledge of astronomy and a great passion for it, traits shared with his descendant, astrophysicist Dr. Sperello di Serego Alighieri.
As a medieval man, Dante straddled the beliefs of the ancients and modern knowledge. Dr. Alighieri will explore how his ancestor repeatedly anticipated later views on topics such as features of the Moon, our Milky Way galaxy—and the curved universe, unlimited but finite, which anticipates the hypersphere of Einstein. Join us for an invitation to reread Dante's poem with different eyes, ones turned upward.
To be recorded live on Tuesday, October 4, 2022
More information: www.stsci.edu/public-lectures
