The prestigious NASA “Photo of the Day” award was recently given to an Italian astronomer, Rolando Ligustri. It happened the day before yesterday, for the January 20 award ceremony.
Who is the awarded Italian photographer
Originally from Talmassons, in the province of Udine, Ligustri is an amateur astronomer with a career spanning over fifty years dedicated to observing comets. His latest photographic endeavor was rewarded by the American Space Agency, which chose one of his images as “Astronomy Picture of the Day“, an initiative that celebrates exceptional astronomical photography from around the world every day.
Rolando Ligustri is no stranger to this type of recognition. With over 50 years of experience in sky observation, he has built a solid reputation in the field of amateur astronomy, specializing in capturing comets. “I am an old enthusiast. I have spent 50 years following comets,” said the amateur astronomer, reflecting on a journey that began many decades ago. In this half century, Ligustri has captured and shared extraordinary images of comets and other celestial phenomena, contributing to scientific dissemination and to the public’s approach to astronomy.
The photo awarded by NASA
The award-winning photograph depicts Comet Nishimura (C/2023 P1), one of the most recent discoveries of 2023, captured with impressive clarity and precision. NASA, which through the “Astronomy Picture of the Day” project selects the best images of astronomical phenomena, chose Ligustri's work for its scientific and aesthetic value.
Below, we propose the award-winning photo, also published at the top of the article

Photo: NASA, SOHO Spacecraft, LASCO C3; Processing: Rolando Ligustri
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