Q:Facts: - death place: merate , italy - death date: 30 may 1927 - field: astronomy - birth date: 20 april 1859 - name: vincenzo cerulli - image size: 220px - nationality: italian - image: cerulli vincenzo 2.jpg - birth place: teramo , italy Based on these bullet points, write a short biography describing the life of vincenzo cerulli .
A:
vincenzo cerulli -lrb- 20 april 1859 -- 30 may 1927 -rrb- was an italian astronomer who owned a private observatory in teramo , where he was born .cerulli compiled a star catalog with elia millosevich .he also observed mars and developed the theory that the martian canals were not real but an optical illusion , a theory that was later confirmed .he discovered one asteroid , 704 interamnia , which is named after the latin name for teramo , and is notable for its relatively large diameter of approximately 350 km , which makes it the fifth largest body in the traditional asteroid belt .a crater on mars is named after cerulli , as are the asteroids 366 vincentina and 31028 cerulli .cerulli died at merate , province of lecco , in 1927 .