Riccardo Giacconi (born October 6,1931) is an American Nobel Prize-winning astrophysicist.
Born in Genoa, Italy, he received a degree from the University of Milan before moving to the US to pursue a career in astrophysics research. He became an American citizen.
In 1966, Giacconi was awarded the Helen B. Warner Prize for Astronomy by the American Astronomical Society. In 1981 he won the Bruce Medal and the Henry Norris Russell Lectureship, and in 1982 he won the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society.
He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2002 for pioneering contributions to astrophysics, which have led to the discovery of cosmic X-ray sources. He has simultaneously held the position of professor of physics and astronomy (1982–1997) and research professor (since 1998) at Johns Hopkins University. He is currently principal investigator for a project with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory project.
The asteroid 3371 Giacconi is named after him.
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