All articles tagged with #vatican observatory
Fr. Richard D’Souza, the new director of the Vatican Observatory and a galactic archaeologist, shares his inspiring journey from a refugee camp to leading the Vatican's astronomical research, discusses galaxy mergers, humanity's future in space, and the importance of human creativity in astronomy, emphasizing the harmony between faith and science.
The article explores the history, art, and significance of Castel Gandolfo, the papal summer residence since the 1600s, highlighting its origins on Roman ruins, its development over centuries, and recent visits by Popes including Leo XIV, with details about the residence, gardens, and museum offerings.
Pope Leo XIV praised the wonder and joy of exploring the universe with the James Webb Space Telescope, encouraging scientists and students to share their discoveries to foster peace and justice, emphasizing the communal and beneficial nature of scientific pursuit.
Brother Robert Macke, a Jesuit astronomer at the Vatican Observatory, has played a crucial role in NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission by constructing a custom-built device called a pycnometer to study asteroid material. The pycnometer had to meet specific requirements to avoid contamination and Macke was the only one able to create the exact device needed. The samples collected from the asteroid Bennu will be studied to gain insights into the origins of the solar system and the nature of asteroids. Macke will continue to be involved in the study of the samples, contributing to the wealth of knowledge being developed. The Vatican Observatory, which Macke is a part of, has a long history of collaborations with scientific institutions worldwide and occasionally participates in NASA missions.
The Vatican Observatory and the Leibniz-Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam have teamed up to survey over 1000 bright stars suspected to host exoplanets. The team has presented precise values of 54 spectroscopic parameters per star in the first of a series of papers in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics and released all its data to the scientific community. The survey concentrated on the richest observing field of NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite mission, an area of the sky approximately 4000 times the size of the full moon.