Amerigo Vespucci (March 9, 1451 - February 22, 1512)

During his third voyage in about 1503-4, Amerigo Vespucci mentioned in a letter describing the southern skies, "three Canopes, two bright and one obscure." Amerigo's bright "Canopes" are thought to be the Magellanic Clouds, LMC and SMC, while the obscure one is probably the Coalsack dark nebula.

Honors include the naming of America for him, even during his lifetime, in 1507 by cartographer Martin Waldseemüller and humanist Matthias Ringmann. It is Waldsemüller's map, drawn 1507 in Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, in Lorraine, where the name "America" was first assigned to the double continent, or what was known of it at that time.
The astronomical community has named asteroid (916) America for him and the continet discovered by him. It had been discovered by G.N. Neujmin at Simeis on August 7, 1915.

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