Fall 2015embracing, encouraging and promoting scientific study

VATICAN OBSERVATORYN E W S L E T T E R

Founded in 1891, the Vatican Observatory demonstrates the Church’s desire to embrace, encourage and promote scientific study,

on the basis of her conviction that ‘faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of

truth’ (Fides et Ratio, Proemium). For more information, email (katie@vaticanobservatory.org) or call (+1 (520) 795-1694).

Brother Guy Consolmagno, S.J.Director, Vatican Observatory

President, Vatican Observatory Foundation

COSMIC ECCLESIASTICAL BALDACCHINO ARTICLE ON PAGE 6

Photo Credit: Paul Mattek - Design Fugitives

VATICAN OBSERVATORY FOUNDATION

On September 29, 1935, Pope Pius

XI dedicated our new quarters and

telescopes in the Pope’s summer palace

in Castel Gandolfo. To celebrate the

80 years since that dedication, on the

week of September 14-18, 2015 the

members of the Vatican Observatory

held a symposium in Castel Gandolfo,

including a visit to the old domes that

Pius XI had dedicated so long ago.

We finished on Friday with a private

audience in Rome with Pope Francis –

just before his US trip. After giving us

a short address, the Pope looked up and

saw me. He smiled and said, “Ah! The

New Director!”

It’s true. I am the new director of the

Vatican Observatory. (I actually didn’t

completely believe it until I heard him

say it.) I am now stepping into Fr. Funes’

position, an awesome responsibility…

and a tough act to follow.

What will my new position mean for

Vatican Observatory Foundation? The

honest answer is, I don’t know yet. I’ve

only just moved into my new office; ask

me again in the spring! But you should

know that I will continue as President

of the Vatican Observatory Foundation.

In fact, my immediate feeling is that

the Observatory is in pretty good shape

in Rome but we need a lot of attention

by Br. Guy Consolmagno, S.J.

President ’s Message

in Tucson. That’s not because the folks

in Tucson haven’t been doing their job,

but rather because they’ve been doing

it very well indeed. As a result, we now

have a telescope that is constantly being

improved and constantly more heavily

subscribed, and therefore one that needs

an ever more stable and secure source of

annual funding. So, I plan to spend the

majority of the coming year in the US.

There are two linked reasons for

this. First, I have always been sensitive

to the fact that when Pope Leo XIII

founded the observatory (in 1891) he

stated that it was so that the world could

clearly see that the Church supported

good science. Doing good science is,

obviously essential for that; otherwise

we have nothing to show. But the

“showing” is also essential. We’ve done

that in an ad-hoc way for the past 20

years, at least. I am trying to organize

a more systematic approach to our

education and public outreach. The

Foundation is the obvious vehicle for

that effort.

But, in addition, if we want to have

stable funding for our Observatory in

the US, it also has to come through the

Foundation.

I’m looking forward to working with

the incredible staff and facilities that my

predecessors have put together. My task

will mostly be to get out of their way and

let them fly. And that includes everyone

who considers themselves a friend of

the Observatory: everyone reading this

newsletter! You should know that all the

good thoughts and best wishes I have

received from everyone have meant a

great deal to me.

The active involvement of the Popes

in our work during all those years, down

to Pope Francis receiving us this month,

should remind us of the weight of history

in the work you and I are doing, and the

importance that the Papacy attaches to

our work. Remember, this Observatory

was the Pope’s idea, not ours!

But beyond that, I hope that all

the events we put on, and the future

events we describe in this newsletter,

reflects another quality that motivates

everything we do in astronomy: a sense

of joy. The stars are glorious, and it’s

a treat to be engaged in their study…

because, their glory proclaims the Glory

of their Creator.

Astronomy is a joyful profession.

And I intend to have fun at this job.

Photo Credits: Osservatore Romano

Pope Francis congratulates Br. Guy The Directors. Pope Francis thanks Fr. Jose Funes.

Page 2

Reaching for the HeavensFall 2015 Page 3

Using the sensitive science-grade

electronic camera on our 1.8 m telescope

(VATT), last march Fr. Richard Boyle

SJ provided raw data for a unique project

allowing students at our partner Jesuit

high schools in Los Angeles and San

Francisco to learn first hand how to

process and assemble professional-grade

astronomy images.

The students determined what

deep sky object for him to image. They

did the research to find a suitable

object — something that was more

than 20 degrees above the horizon at

the established time, but more than ten

degrees away from the zenith, and an

object that was not too bright, not too

big.

The object could not be too

bright, less than fifth magnitude i.e.

not the Moon or a visible planet, since

that would have swamped the CCD

chip. Nor could it be too big. The total

field of view of the camera is 12.5 arc

minutes square, but nothing much larger

than 8 arc minutes by 8 arc minutes was

recommended to be certain that it fit

in the field of view of the camera. On

the other hand, objects less than an arc

minute across may not show up very

well. So, for example, assuming it were

visible, the Andromeda Galaxy would

have been too big to fit in the field of

view, while Neptune would probably

have been too small to make a nice

image.

Once the object was chosen the

students sent the coordinates (RA and

Dec) to Fr. Boyle. He took three digital

images, in red, green, and blue filters,

did the basic flat-fielding to remove the

chip flaws, and sent the students raw

images. The students then determined

how to combine the images into a full

2015 Student Astrophotography Project

Loyola students took part in the

Astrophotography Project but were

also thrilled to spend two days

in Tucson learning more about

astronomy up close. Their teacher,

Andrey Aristov, took them to

the mirror lab under the football

stadium at The University of

Arizona where the VATT mirror

was made long ago and many key

mirrors are made today. Fr. Paul

Gabor gave them a tour of Steward

Observatory on the UA campus

where the Vatican Observatory

Research Group has their offices.

The group then went on to see the

numerous telescopes on Kitt Peak

and did some hands-on observing

at the SkyCenter on Mt. Lemmon.

Loyola High School, Los Angeles, Field Trip to Tucson March 2015

color image — which became their

souvenirs of the astronomy class!

Ethan Vedder, Astronomy teacher,

St. Ignatius Prep, San Francisco:

“I thought it was really interesting to

see how different the student images were

from each other when we all started with

the same exact raw data. It shows a deeper

level of what scientists and technicians do

to represent data in a meaningful and still

authentic way to their audience.

Our students were new to working

with file and image data and with photoshop,

but from the start they were excited to

have so much control over their work.

They researched several appropriate night

sky objects, they picked M99 as the object

to be photographed, they manipulated the

data and the filters, and they produced a

variety of images as final productions. I

felt really rewarded as a teacher as I saw

the students progressing with the process,

and then I could literally hear them get

excited about producing their final image.

I would do this again in a heartbeat.”

“An Amazing Experience”Fr. William Holtzinger • Pastor, St. Anne Catholic Church • Grants Pass, Oregon

Last summer, an invitation went out

to the dioceses of the United States

to join the Vatican Observatory

Foundation for a five-day workshop

on faith and astronomy for priests and

Catholic educators. This was their

first time offering such a workshop.

Among the 60 who applied, 25 were

accepted, including myself. As an

amateur astronomer, this was a once-

in-a-lifetime opportunity. So in late

January, I packed my bags and headed

to Tucson, AZ. That’s right, Tucson,

not the Vatican.

L e c t u r e t o p i c s we h e a r d

included methods on teaching the

constellations to children as well as

the philosophy of science in an age

of “new atheists”. Br. Guy gave a

talk on the current issue of physics,

metaphysics, and cosmology and

explained how science and faith

collaborate in the search for the

Truth. One asks how things happen

(physics and astronomy) and the

other asks what meaning do they

have (theology and philosophy).

T he Fa it h a nd Ast ronomy

Work shop wi l l be held aga in,

beginning on January 16, 2016. We

need to encourage more clergy

and Catholic educators to take

advantage of this new opportunity

being offered by our Church. We, as

Catholics, need to truly understand

the theological, philosophical, and

scientific fields being discussed in

today’s culture. We need to enter into

the cultural debate and help assist in

the quest for the Truth.

For an astronomy geek like me,

it was an amazing experience. I

look forward to sharing the work

of the Vatican Observatory in my

preaching and other public speaking

opportunities. It was truly a thrill

to be able to meet Catholics doing

serious astronomy and spend time

with clergy and lait y who are

passionate about this science.

Faith and Astronomy WorkshopJanuary 11 - 15, 2016

What can modern astronomy tell us about creation...and its CREATOR?

Please consider supporting the men and women participating in the workshop. The cost of attending is $750. Donations to help provide scholarships for very

deserving candidates would be truly appreciated. Thank you!

VATICAN OBSERVATORY FOUNDATION Page 4

Matter and Energy: 100 Years of General RelativityGabriele Gionti, S.J., Ph.D.

Article originally published in part by the

Osservatore Romano on July 29, 2015.

When Einstein’s Theory of General

Relativity began to be understood not

simply as a theory with an intrinsic

mathematical beauty but as something

that could be applied successfully

to describe compact objects such as

neutron stars and black holes, relativistic

astrophysics was born.

General Relativity describes the

universe close to the beginning of

time (t=0). But “time zero” itself is a

“singularity”: many quantities that are

basic elements of the theory no longer

have a meaning that can be described

by the theory.

Close to that moment, in what is

called Planck time, it has been proposed

that gravity could be described through

Quantum Mechanics into what has

been called quantum gravity. Two

theories moving in this direction are

Superstring Theory and Loop Quantum

Gravity theory.

These and other questions were

discussed by 1200 researchers from

around the globe who participated in

the 14th Marcel Grossman Meeting

on relativistic astrophysics, held at La

Sapienza University in Rome from July

12-18. The Vatican Observatory took an

active part in the meeting, which was

organized by the International Center

for Relativistic Astrophysics (ICRA).

This year marks the 100th

anniversary of the discovery of

Einstein’s General Relativity equation

and UNESCO’s declaration of the Year

of Light. Therefore, the theme of the

14th Marcel Grossman Meeting was

intended to celebrate both occurrences.

Among the notable researchers present

were the mathematician Yakov Sinai,

the expert in chaos theory; cosmologist

Stephen Hawking, who gave a public

seminar remotely from Cambridge;

the astrophysicist Sir Martin Rees of

Cambridge University; the physics

theorist and Nobel Prize recipient

Gerard ‘t Hooft, and the experimental

physicist and Nobel Prize recipient

Samuel Ting. Opening the meeting

Fr. Jose’ G. Funes, S.J., Director of the

Vatican Observatory, read a message of

greeting from Pope Francis.

The discussion also touched on

critical questions like Dark Matter and

Dark Energy. Dark Matter is an invisible

material forming almost 27% of the total

material in our universe that has been

postulated in order to explain the orbital

velocities of stars in galaxies, which

otherwise would not obey Kepler’s

orbital laws. The nature of this material

is not yet known, and in fact the Large

Hadron Collider at CERN in Geneva

is being used to explore possible aspects

of this dark matter. Dark Energy, which

appears to represent about 68% of the

universe’s material (matter and energy

are equivalent concepts according to

the relativity of Einstein), has been

introduced to explain the observed

acceleration of our expanding universe.

Like Dark Matter, Dark Energy is an

energy that cannot be detected directly.

It is believed that its nature is connected

to a fundamental interaction of matter

and energy called “zero point energy”

that probably appeared immediately

after the Big Bang.

Among the most interesting

presentations were those dealing with

the results from the European Space

Agency’s Planck satellite, which

measured the Cosmic Microwave

Background Radiation (C.M.B.). This

radiation is the first light of the universe;

it confirms that the Big Bang model,

while providing information on the

distribution of material in the universe,

including Dark Matter and Dark Energy,

is the most credible. Also discussed at the

meeting were gamma ray bursts, which

are energy emissions of gamma rays that,

according to most recent theories, take

place in the expanding disks around

black holes; and cosmic rays, highly

energized particles from space.

The tradition of the Marcel

Grossman Meeting began in 1975 under

the initiative and constant direction of

Professor Remo Ruffini of the Physics

Department at La Sapienza University

and president of ICRA. The meeting is

named in memory of the mathematician

Marcel Grossman, a friend of Albert

Einstein who helped him understand the

importance of the “Absolute Calculus”

of Riemann and the results of Tullio

Levi-Civita and Ricci Cubastro as a

mathematical presupposition for the

formulation of the Theory of General

Relativity.

Fr. Gabriele Gionti, S.J., represented

the Vatican Observatory on the meeting’s

local organizing committee. During the

week-long gathering Fr. Gionti, with

Professor Salvatore Capozziello of the

University of Naples, also coordinated

“one parallel session” on the “Alternative

Theories of General Relativity and

Quantistic Cosmology” with seventy-four

presenters.

Reaching for the HeavensFall 2015 Page 5

Br. Guy, Connie and Bob Trembley, and Bill Higgins at Musecon 2015. Bob And Bill both write for the VOF blog.

In July, as NASA’s New Horizons

spacecraft neared its climactic encounter

with Pluto, its human crew gathered at

Johns Hopkins University’s Applied

Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel,

Maryland. Furthermore, 1000 invited

guests filled APL’s conference center.

I was there, too. I’d volunteered to

drive out from Illinois to assist a group

of New Horizons Educator Fellows from

across the nation.

Monday, 13 July, had a few scientific

results to report. Nitrogen detected far

from Pluto’s; a new, more accurate value

for the radius of Pluto; ice confirmed at

the dark north polar zone on Charon,

Pluto’s largest moon.

Much of Monday’s br ief ing

concerned Tuesday. “Between this time

now and closest approach tomorrow,

the spacecraft will be taking about 150

observations,” said Cathy Olkin, of the

Southwest Research Institute, deputy

project scientist for New Horizons.

As a consequence, the spacecraft

would fall silent Monday night. Pointing

instruments this way and that, as the

spacecraft covered Pluto, Charon, the

smaller moons, and the space between,

left no time to pause and point the high-

gain dish antenna at Earth—especially

during the crucial hours near closest

approach. Instead the plan was to record

all data in New Horizons’ onboard

memory. There would be plenty of

Eyewitness to PlutoBy William S. Higgins - The Catholic Astronomer Blog Contributor

time to transmit the data in the months

following the flyby.

During Monday, nevertheless, a

few key “insurance” observations were

transmitted. In case of failure during or

just after the flyby, we’d have a few precious

pictures and spectra to tell us something

about Pluto and its neighborhood.

Tuesday dawned. The 14th of July

was the day the people of the New

Horizons project had been anticipating

for years. Even though there would be

no signal from the spacecraft for many

hours, the potent moment of closest

approach, 7:50 AM, featured cheering

and flag-waving.

In Tuesday morning’s briefing, we

saw an “insurance” image, gathered on

Monday, that would become iconic: The

sunlit hemisphere of Pluto, in detail. The

surface was far from uniform: Rugged

terrain in the dark belt around the

equator. Cliffs, perhaps signs of erosion,

running across the northern hemisphere.

Smooth plains in the vast, pale heart-

shaped region. Craters were few,

suggesting that the surface has changed

in geologically-recent time.

It was too soon to draw many

conclusions, but the varied landscape

made one thing abundantly clear: Pluto

is not boring. Which made everyone

even more glad that the United States

had sent a probe to visit.

We spent Tuesday in suspense, not

knowing whether the flyby had been

a success. Late in the afternoon, the

spacecraft antenna pointed briefly back

at Earth. The plan was to send a squirt

of status data for a few minutes.

Moving at the speed of light, this

signal would reach Earth much later, at

8:52 PM Laurel time. The crowd watched

a NASA TV feed. Had the spacecraft

functioned?

The scene cut to the New Horizons

operations center in another building.

“Carrier lock” had been achieved.

This brought relieved applause! Then

engineers confirmed seeing good

telemetry from several systems. All was

well.

Time for another media briefing

in the auditorium. Black-shirted team

members, having walked over en masse

from Building 200, were cheered like

champion athletes. It took a while to

settle down.

We learned that the “expected

number of segments” had been filled in

the memory—all data safely on board.

As it receded from Pluto and Charon, of

course, New Horizons was still observing.

It’ll take 16 months to transmit

everything to the ground. Yet even the

small sample downlinked in the next

few days was enough for a revolution

in the understanding of Pluto and

Charon, unexpectedly active and varied

(continued on page 7)

VATICAN OBSERVATORY FOUNDATION Page 6

Brother Guy Consolmagno was involved

as a consultant on this award winning

sculpture designed for the Church of

St. Mary Magdalen in Grand Rapids,

Michigan. The altar piece includes a

dome and constellations. As explained by

the designers, “The idea behind the pieces

and pattern was to show the spiritual

impact of the Mass celebration beyond

the physical boundaries of the elements

Cosmic Baldacchino

Now You Know Media Lecture Series

and the space. The Baldacchino recalls

the tent that protected the Ark of the

Covenant as it moved with the Israelites

through the desert. Here the baldacchino

is placed over the tabernacle. The

patterning of the metal mesh resembles

a field of wheat which the wind (the

Holy Spirit) animates. In the dome of the

baldacchino is an image of the night sky

on the eve of dedication (June 8, 2014).”

Galileo: Science, Faith, and the Catholic ChurchMeaning: Exploring the Big Questions of the Cosmos with a Vatican Scientist

To join Br. Guy on one of these 12 audio and video lectures go to:www.nowyouknowmedia.com

VOF friends can use the code Guy to obtain a 10% discount.

Photo Credits: Paul Mattek - Design Fugitives

Enjoy lectures by Br. Guy Consolmagno, S.J., available in video DVD, audio CD, and downloadable MP3 formats.

bodies. Expect further news from Pluto’s

neighborhood for months to come.

Beginning Wednesday, the team

of Educator Fellows went to work

creating educational “stations” for a

public event on Saturday. My table, for

example, covered the measurement of

interplanetary dust.

2000 people showed up for

“Plutopalooza,” a rousing success.

Mea nwhi le , t he spacecra f t

continues. A small Kuiper Belt object is

within its reach; there’s hope that New

Horizons will make another flyby in 2019.

I can hardly wait.

(continued from page 6) William S. Higgins is a radiation

safety physicist at Fermilab involved with

the transport of high-energy particle beams.

He frequently writes and speaks about

spaceflight, astronomy, and the history of

science. A graduate of Notre Dame, he lives

in Aurora, Illinois.

Reaching for the HeavensFall 2015 Page 7

Calendars may be purchased for $25 each or $20 each for bulk orders of 4 or more. The VOF is happy to mail calendars to gift recipients for you if the names and addresses are indicated.

WAYS TO PLACE AN ORDER:

• Visit the Vatican Observatory Foundation website: www.vofoundation.org, click on the Donate button and choose the Guild Membership option from the menu.

• Use the enclosed envelope and pay by check or credit card. All appropriate areas must be completed.

• You may also mail a check made out to Vatican Observatory Foundation indicating that your gift is to become a Guild Member and receive your calendar. Please remember to include your return address.

Vatican Observatory Foundation2017 East Lee Street

Tucson, AZ 85719

2016 Official Vatican Observatory CalendarNow Available!

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

The Catholic Astronomer BlogRead the Daily Articles at:

VOFoundation.org/blog

VATICAN OBSERVATORYF O U N D A T I O N2017 East Lee StreetTucson, Arizona 85719

Non Profit Org

OR

Sample 5 Sample 6

Indicia Design, Placement, and Content

6.3.1 Production

Embossed or unembossed permit imprint indicia may be made by printing press, hand stamp, lithography, mimeograph, multigraph, address

plate, or similar device. They may not be typewritten or hand-drawn. [P040.2.1]

6.3.2 Permit Imprint Indicia Content and Format

The content and format of a permit imprint indicia must meet the standards below. No other formats may be used.

6.3.3 Indicia Legibility and Color

The permit imprint indicia must be legible and of a color that contrasts sufficiently with the paper and the indicia's background for readability. A

different color may be used to highlight the background of an indicia. [P040.2.3]

6.3.4 Indicia Placement on Mailpiece

Permit imprint indicia must be aligned parallel with the address of the mailpiece. The indicia must not encroach on reserved space (e.g., ACS

participant code, delivery point barcode) if such a standard applies and can be placed in one of these four positions:

a. Upper right corner of the mailpiece.

b. Upper right corner of the address area.

c. To the right of the address on an address label.

d. To the right of the address on an insert appearing through a window envelope.

NON PROFIT ORG U.S POSTAGE

PAID TUCSON, AZ

PERMIT NO. 3341

INSIDE Papal Appointment General Relativity Pluto

JOIN US FOR TWO EVENTS - SATURDAY , JANUARY 23, 2016

MT. CLARET RETREAT CENTER - PHOENIX, ARIZONA

ANNUAL AWARDS DINNERFeaturing

Dr. Jim Bell Professor,School of Earth and Space Exploration,

Arizona State University

By Invitation Only$200 per person

“WATER IN THE UNIVERSE”A Seminar Featuring

Dr. Chris Impey - University of Arizona

Dr. Andy Rivkin - Johns Hopkins

Dr. Bob Macke, S.J. - Vatican Observatory

Dr. Lindy Elkins- Tanton - Arizona State University

From 10 am - 12:00 pmOpen to the public

Please RSVP after November 1st at: www.vofoundation.org