A Jesuit mathematician and astronomer, Casati is known for his Terra Machinis Mota (an imagined dialogue between Galileo, Paul Guldin, and Marin Mersenne), and for his discussion of the theory of horror vacui. The lunar crater Casatus is named for him.
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Terra Machinis Mota, Eivsque Gravis, Et Dimensio
A Jesuit astronomer and physicist, Riccioli collaborated with Francesco Grimaldi to create one of the first maps of the lunar surface (1651). He is known also for his critical astronomical treatise Almagestum Novum; taking the first accurate measurement of the acceleration of gravity on earth and of Galileo's Law of Falling Bodies; and discovering what would ultimately be deemed the 'Coriolis Effect.' The lunar crater Riccius is named for him.
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Setting Aside All Authority: Giovanni Battista Riccioli and the Science Against Copernicus in the Age of Galileo
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Secchi was the first astronomer to apply spectroscopy to the study of planets and stars; developed a system stellar classification; and was one of the first scientists to photograph the sun during an eclipse, after which he was able to prove the existence of the solar corona. His scientific contributions extended to study of the moon and its craters, Saturn's rings, and Mars. The lunar crater Secchi as well as a crater on Mars and an asteroid, bear his name.
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Angelo Secchi and Nineteenth Century Science: The Multidisciplinary Contributions of a Pioneer and Innovator
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Decoding the Stars: A Biography of Angelo Secchi, Jesuit and Scientist
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Les étoiles : essai d'astronomie sidérale
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Le soleil: Exposé des principales découvertes modernes sur la structure de cet astre...
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Did you know? There are a total of 35 lunar craters that are named for Jesuit selenologists, astronomers, and other scientists.
Map created in Google Earth Pro by J. Whelan, 7/2025, using information from Dennis C. Smolarski, "Appendix 1: Jesuit Craters on the Moon," Studies in the Spirituality of Jesuits 37, no. 1 (2005): 37-38, https://web.bc.edu/jsdc/jsl/sjs_20050301.pdf
Lunar craters named for Jesuits include:
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Two of these Jesuits, Francesco Grimaldi and Giovanni Battista Riccioli, developed an important lunar map with naming conventions that are still in use today -- among other features, they named the famous Sea of Tranquility (Mare Tranquilitatis).
Giovanni Battista Riccioli, Almagestum novum, vol. 1 (Bologna: Ex typographia haeredis Victorij Benatij, 1651), 204-205. Courtesy of The Linda Hall Library of Science, Engineering & Technology. https://www.lindahall.org/experience/digital-exhibitions/the-face-of-the-moon/b-1610-1700/05-riccioli-giovanni-battista/