Niccolò Cacciatore

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Niccolò Cacciatore (January 26, 1770 – January 28, 1841) was an Italian astronomer.

Cacciatore was born at Casteltermini, in Sicily. While he was studying mathematics and physics in Palermo, Giuseppe Piazzi, head of the Palermo Astronomical Observatory, became acquainted with Cacciatore, who began to work at the observatory in 1800. Cacciatore helped Piazzi compile the second edition of the Palermo Star Catalogue; after it was published in 1814, it was discovered that, as a practical joke, Cacciatore had named two stars after himself. Cacciatore did this by giving the name Sualocin to Alpha Delphini and Rotanev to Beta Delphini. Reversed, these two words spell Nicolaus Venator, the Latinized form of Cacciatore's name.

Cacciatore succeeded Piazzi as director of the Palermo Observatory in 1817. He was imprisoned during the Sicilian Revolution of 1820. On March 19, 1826, he discovered the globular cluster NGC 6541, which was later independently observed by James Dunlop. Cacciatore died on January 28, 1841. His son, Gaetano, succeeded him as director of the observatory.