Named in honor of Mario Girolamo Fracastoro, former director of the Catania and the Pino Torinese {see planet  (2694)} observatories. His early research (in Florence) included solar physics, astronomical technology and the physics of photometric binaries. In 1963 he began a systematic study of the star RS CVn. More recently, he has been involved in astrometric work on binary systems, serving as president of IAU Commission 26 during 1982–1985 and as a member of the Hipparcos mission definition group. (M 13608) _ _.