Fall 2015 emacing, encouraging and omoting scientific study VATICAN OBSERVATORY NEWSLETTER 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 ([email protected]) 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
8
Embed
NEWSLETTER - Vatican Observatory › ... › VOF_Newsletters › 2015FallNewslett… · NEWSLETTER Founded in 1891, the Vatican Observatory demonstrates the Church’s desire to embrace,
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
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 ([email protected]) 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