Visible Certainty Conference Logo

The Visible Certainty Conference 2024 logo is designed by Professor Goffredo Puccetti, an Associate Professor of Practice of Visual Arts at NYU Abu Dhabi. The inspiration for the logo comes from Galileo Galilei's Sidereus Nuncius (The Starry Messenger) published in 1609. The poster image features the Abu Dhabi night sky captured during the "Capturing the Cosmos: an Astrophotography Workshop" organized by the Center for Astrophysics and Space Science (CASS) on October 22, 2022.

Puccetti's decision to include excerpts from Galileo's text and visualizations adds depth to the logo. In Sidereus Nuncius, Galileo emphasized the importance of visible, verifiable, and certain observations, laying the groundwork for the scientific revolution. Puccetti's design aims to capture the essence of Galileo's approach, serving as an iconic representation for a conference focused on contemporary astronomical observations.

In particular, he took inspiration from Galileo's "four asterisks and a tilted capital ‘O’" which he used to show in print the revolution of moons around Jupiter. These visualizations are still considered by many scholars among the most exquisite and elegant examples of information design.

Hosted by the Center for Astrophysics and Space Science, the Visible Certainty Conference 24 scheduled on April 23-24 2024 addresses challenges related to increasing satellite congestion in orbits. Puccetti's logo reflects the conference's commitment to discussing sustainability in space activities while preserving dark and quiet skies for astronomers. With a focus on mega-constellations like SpaceX's plan to deploy 42000 satellites, the conference explores ways to minimize the impact on astronomical observations.