Serena Dandini (photo by Gianmarco Chieregato).
Lhe Mirabilis is a plant native to Peru that belongs to the large Nyctagynaceae family, a name that probably won’t tell you anything, like me.
But if I tell you that thein Mirabilis it is better known with the name of Bella di Notte I defy anyone not to have met her at least once in their life. Its flowers are trumpets of various colors and as the name suggests, they open from sunset to sunrise, to take advantage of the industrious pollination of moths.
That’s why if you want to populate a flower bed with this simple flower, I advise you to choose the varieties that turn from white to pale pink: colors that stand out best in your garden lit by the moon and stars.
But you can only enjoy the stars if you are lucky enough to live in areas with little pollution where the sky is still clear and perhaps punctuated by the flickering light of fireflies that survive under the same virtuous conditions.
Observing the universe above us on a beautiful summer night, perhaps lying on the grassis one of the activities worthy of a holiday and you could increase the pleasure of this pastime by reading (strictly by candlelight or at most I grant you an electric battery) a book that goes hand in hand with our Mirabilis, since it’s called like her: Mirabilis. Five intuitions (more to come) that have revolutionized our idea of the universe.
“Mirabilis” by Ersilia Vaudo (Einaudi).
It is a freshly printed essay (published by Einaudi) by Ersilia Vaudo Scarpetta, astrophysicist at the European Space Agency since 1991, and it’s a very enjoyable job even for less equipped readers like me. The secrets of the cosmos make your head spin but if told with talent they are more fascinating than a novel.
I have a soft spot for astrophysics and Ersilia Vaudo has completely conquered me; I advise you to travel with her on this fascinating space odyssey through the various revelations and discoveries obtained over time by scientists.
From Newton to Einstein to antimatter, the author will take you to the center of the universe and the many mysteries that have not yet been revealed. Science is not only poetic but it also helps us to keep our feet on the ground, just like the force of gravity, and we never need it like we do right now.
Ersilia Vaudo is also co-founder of the Association Traveling Heaven which promotes scientific literacy of boys and girls in situations of educational poverty and social hardship. For that alone it would be worth rushing to the bookstore.
All articles by Serena Dandini
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