Mario G. Guarcello

🚀 Mario G. Guarcello is an astronomer at INAF Osservatorio Astronomico di Palermo G.S. Vaiana. His research is mainly focused on star formation and the early stellar evolutionary phases, on stellar magnetic activity, and on stellar clusters. He is also an active science populariser.

How do you describe your journey in astronomy so far❓
📣 I have received my Ph.D in #Physics in 2010 at Università degli Studi di Palermo. After a few months, I moved to the USA at Center for Astrophysics l Harvard & Smithsonian, one of the largest and most important institutions for research in astronomy. After four years of great experiences, both professional and personal, I moved back to the Astronomical #Observatory of Palermo, one of the oldest and most important institutions for studies of stellar and X-ray #astronomy, where I become staff astronomer in 2019.

Why did you choose to study #astrophysics❓
📣 Honestly, I never chose it. I only remember that since when I was a kid, I’ve been fascinated by the #stars in the sky, and that at the age of 8-10 years I was already enjoying drawing #stellar maps.

Do you have a favorite scientific theory❓
📣 I have been mostly impressed by the first ALMA Observatory observations of a planet-forming disk around the young star HL Tau, the images of the #blackhole in M87, and the observations of the pulsar at the centre of the #CrabNebula with the Chandra X-ray Observatory.

Why is #AHEAD2020 important to you❓
📣 Energetic phenomena shed an important #light on the properties of stars, their structures and their magnetic fields, that are impossible to probe otherwise… a research field that is very exciting for me!

What is the best word describing astronomy❓
📣#Infinite