Julio Garavito's 157th Birthday

Google Dooles 05.01.2022 11:30  Date: January 5, 2022 Today’s Doodle celebrates Colombian mathematician, engineer, and astronomer Julio Garavito, who is widely considered one of the nation’s most influential scientists. As the director of Colombia’s National Astronomical Observatory for nearly three decades, Garavito made significant progress in developing the theory of lunar motion, which elevated the observatory to one of the world’s most esteemed research centers for celestial mechanics. Julio Garavito Armero was born on this day in 1865 in the capital of Bogotá. He started high school at just 10 years old, demonstrating his prodigious talent in science and mathematics from an early age. After defending three theses on the mathematical possibilities of pressure gauges, a novel approach for calculating pi, and triangular bridge structures , Garavito graduated with a degree in civil engineering in 1891. The next year, Garavito’s mathematical prowess led to his appointment as the head of the National Astronomical Observatory, one of Colombia’s most prestigious scientific institutions. Here, he calculated the trajectory of comets and researched the effect the Moon’s orbit had on the Earth’s weather systems. Outside of his astronomical research, Garavito was a scientific communicator who helped the Colombian public understand natural phenomena such as eclipses and earthquakes. In 1970, the International Astronomical Union celebrated Garavito’s celestial legacy by naming a crater on the far side of the moon in his honor. In 1996, the Colombian government printed his portrait on the 20,000 peso note into circulation to commemorate his priceless achievements. Here’s to an innovator whose scientific advancements put him over the moon—Julio Garavito! Early drafts of the Doodle Location: Tags: , , , , , , , , ,