Domenico Maria Novara da Ferrara

Domenico Maria Novara (Ferrara, 1454-1504) was an astronomer and for 21 years was a professor at Bologna's university, where he became famous as Nicolaus Copernicus' teacher.

He was an astrologer, perhaps for economical reasons (as it was common at those times).

Copernicus started out as Novara's student and then became his assistant and co-worker. Novara declared that his teacher was the famous astronomer Regiomontanus, who was once, in turn, the pupil of Peurbach.

Novara's writings are largely lost except for a few astrological almanacs, written for the university.

On March 9, 1497 Novara witnessed the first Copernicus' observation, recorded in De revolutionibus orbium caelestium. Both men were described as free minds and free souls, and Novara believed that his findings would have shaken the unshakable Ptolemy's geocentric System.