An education in astronomy

The scientific career of Riccardo Giacconi is summarized from an autobiographical point of view. The narrative moves from the discovery of Sco X-1, to the observations with Uhuru, Skylab, Einstein, Royal, and the Chandra Observatory. His direction of the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) and of the European Southern Observatory are described. His recent involvement in the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) project. is briefly summarized.