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Sacred Space Astronomy
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Sacred Space Giving Program

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on December 1, 2018 by Website AdminDecember 1, 2018

Support The Catholic Astronomer Blog It is your support that lets us keep the blog going. (We pay our contributors… a pittance, mind you, but still it isn’t for free.) According to our analytics, 8010 people are regular followers of this blog, so we made our goal of reaching 8000 this month. That’s great! However, only 114 of you are actual paying members. If you’re keeping tabs, that is significantly fewer than we reported last month, because (as we do on occasion) we have dropped members who have stopped contributing – usually because their credit cards have expired. Nonetheless we did get a few new sign ups as well last month. Thanks! If we could have even just ten percent of our readership support us at the rate of $10 a month, that would raise enough not only to keep the blog going but to substantially support the other astronomy and faith outreach activities of the Vatican Observatory Foundation. And, … Continue reading →

Posted in Fundraising | Tagged Donations, Giving, Sacred Space, Support | 4 Replies

Sacred Space Giving Program

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on November 1, 2018 by Website AdminOctober 31, 2018

Support The Catholic Astronomer Blog It is your support that lets us keep the blog going. (We pay our contributors… a pittance, mind you, but still it isn’t for free.) According to our analytics, 7901 people are regular followers of this blog, an increase of 99 followers this past month. That’s great! (Can we make it to 8000 by December 1?) However, only 144 of you are actual paying members, which is the same as last month. (Thanks to all of you who support us!) Help?! If we could have even just ten percent of our readership support us at the rate of $10 a month, that would raise enough not only to keep the blog going but to substantially support the other astronomy and faith outreach activities of the Vatican Observatory Foundation. And, by the way, for those of you who can still deduct… we are a tax exempt 501c3 nonprofit organization. How to do this? Join the Sacred … Continue reading →

Posted in Fundraising | Tagged Donations, Giving, Sacred Space, Support | Leave a reply

Sacred Space Giving Program

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on October 1, 2018 by Website AdminOctober 1, 2018

Support The Catholic Astronomer Blog It is your support that lets us keep the blog going. (We pay our contributors… a pittance, mind you, but still it isn’t for free.) According to our analytics, 7802 people are regular followers of this blog, an increase of 101 followers this past month. That’s great! However, only 144 of you are actual paying members, only more than last month. (Thanks to all of you who support us!) If we could have even just ten percent of our readership support us at the rate of $10 a month, that would raise enough not only to keep the blog going but to substantially support the other astronomy and faith outreach activities of the Vatican Observatory Foundation. And, by the way, for those of you who can still deduct… we are a tax exempt 501c3 nonprofit organization. How to do this? Join the Sacred Space Giving Program, and you will have reserved access to the Catholic … Continue reading →

Posted in Fundraising | Tagged Donations, Giving, Sacred Space, Support | Leave a reply

Please Welcome our new Blogger: Dr. Heidi B. Hammel

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on September 24, 2018 by Website AdminOctober 3, 2018

Heidi B. Hammel is the Executive Vice President of AURA, Inc., a non-profit consortium of universities and institutions that manages and operates astronomical facilities, including the Hubble Space Telescope. She also serves as Vice President of The Planetary Society, a public advocacy group whose mission is to empower the world’s citizens to advance space science and exploration. Dr. Hammel earned her undergraduate degree from MIT, and her Masters and Ph. D. in Physics and Astronomy from the University of Hawaii at Manoa; she was a postdoctoral research fellow at JPL and MIT, and spent nearly a decade at MIT as a Principal Research Scientist. Dr. Hammel has been recognized both for her science (AAAS Fellow in 2000; 1996 Urey Prize from the American Astronomical Society) and for her work in public outreach (2002 Sagan Medal for outstanding public communication by an active planetary scientist; San Francisco Exploratorium’s 1998 Public Understanding of Science Award). She primarily studies outer planets and their … Continue reading →

Posted in Announcement, Astronomy | Tagged AURA, Heidi B. Hammel, James Webb Space Telescope, Neptune, Planetary Society, Uranus, Voyager | Leave a reply

Sacred Space Giving Program

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on September 1, 2018 by Website AdminAugust 30, 2018

Support The Catholic Astronomer Blog It is your support that lets us keep the blog going. (We pay our contributors… a pittance, mind you, but still it isn’t for free.) According to our analytics, 7701 people are regular followers of this blog, an increase of 84 followers this past month. That’s great! However, only 143 of you are actual paying members; still, that’s five more than last month. (Thanks!) If we could have even just ten percent of our readership support us at the rate of $10 a month, that would raise enough not only to keep the blog going but to substantially support the other astronomy and faith outreach activities of the Vatican Observatory Foundation. And, by the way, for those of you who can still deduct… we are a tax exempt 501c3 nonprofit organization. How to do this? Join the Sacred Space Giving Program, and you will have reserved access to the Catholic Astronomer blog! You’ll be able … Continue reading →

Posted in Fundraising | Tagged Donations, Giving, Sacred Space, Support | Leave a reply

Please Welcome our new Blogger: Chris Olsen

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on August 2, 2018 by Website AdminAugust 2, 2018

Chris Olsen has a degree in history, and is a student of 19th-century photography and science. Chris does daguerreotypes and wet plate collodion, which are the two first photographic processes that were commercially successful. Chris works as an operator at Fermi National Accelerator Lab; this offers him the very special privilege of taking his camera equipment into the accelerator complex and using this 150-year-old process to take pictures of it. Chris also does backstage concert photography and takes pictures of Civil War reenactors. Chris uses his own 19th-century equipment, and gives these photographs to the Civil War reenactors as gifts. Chris will be writing a series about 19th century solar observation, and recreating the instruments used during that period. Chris has started researching the English scientist and astronomer Norman Lockyer; during the next total solar eclipse, Chris hopes to “discover” the element helium using the spectrometer he built.  

Continue reading →
Posted in Announcement, Astronomy, History | Tagged 19th Century, Fermilab, History, Photography, Photoheliograph, Solar Observing, spectroscopy, Sun | Leave a reply

Sacred Space Giving Program

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on August 1, 2018 by Website AdminAugust 4, 2018

Support The Catholic Astronomer Blog According to our analytics, 7617 people are regular followers of this blog an increase 105 followers just in this past month That’s great! But only 138 of you are actual paying members, and that hasn’t changed at all since last month. Help! It is your support that lets us keep the blog going. (We pay our contributors… a pittance, mind you, but still it isn’t for free.) If we could have even just ten percent of our readership support us at the rate of $10 a month, that would raise enough not only to keep the blog going but to substantially support the other astronomy and faith outreach activities of the Vatican Observatory Foundation. And, by the way, for those of you who can still deduct… we are a tax exempt 501c3 nonprofit organization. How to do this? Join the Sacred Space Giving Program, and you will have reserved access to the Catholic Astronomer blog! … Continue reading →

Posted in Fundraising | Tagged Donations, Giving, Sacred Space, Support | Leave a reply

Please Welcome our new Blogger: Brother Bob Macke SJ

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on July 31, 2018 by Website AdminJuly 31, 2018

Br. Bob Macke joined the Vatican Observatory in July 2013, where he studies meteorite physical properties in the observatory’s meteorite laboratory. In August 2014, Br. Bob became the curator of the Vatican collection of 1200 meteorite specimens. Br. Bob is a member of the U.S. Central and Southern Province of the Society of Jesus. He was born in Fort Worth, Texas in 1974. After studying physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Washington University in St. Louis, he taught astronomy for a few years at Bowling Green State University (Bowling Green, Ohio) before entering the Society of Jesus in 2001. As a Jesuit, he studied philosophy at St. Louis University. He then taught physics, astronomy, and mathematics at Rockhurst University (Kansas City, Missouri) for one year, and then began a doctoral program studying meteorite physical properties at University of Central Florida. His dissertation, Survey of Meteorite Physical Properties: Density, Porosity and Magnetic Susceptibility, detailed measurements on more than … Continue reading →

Posted in Announcement | Tagged Br. Bob Macke, Jesuit astronomers, Jesuits, meteorites, Moon rocks, Vatican Observatory | 3 Replies

Sacred Space Giving Program

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on July 1, 2018 by Website AdminJuly 1, 2018

Support The Catholic Astronomer Blog According to our analytics, 7512 people are regular followers of this blog. That’s great! But only 138 of you are actual paying members. It is your support that lets us keep the blog going. (We pay our contributors… a pittance, mind you, but still it isn’t for free.) If we could have even just ten percent of our readership support us at the rate of $10 a month, that would raise enough not only to keep the blog going but to substantially support the other astronomy and faith outreach activities of the Vatican Observatory Foundation. And, by the way, for those of you who can still deduct… we are a tax exempt 501c3 nonprofit organization. How to do this? Join the Sacred Space Giving Program, and you will have reserved access to the Catholic Astronomer blog! You’ll be able to join in on conversations with blog authors, and you’ll receive a copy of the Sacred … Continue reading →

Posted in Fundraising | Tagged Donations, Giving, Sacred Space, Support | 1 Reply

Sacred Space Giving Program

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on June 1, 2018 by Website AdminJune 2, 2018

Support The Catholic Astronomer Blog According to our analytics, 7429 people are regular followers of this blog. That’s great! But only 134 of you are actual paying members. It is your support that lets us keep the blog going. (We pay our contributors… a pittance, mind you, but still it isn’t for free.) If we could have even just ten percent of our readership support us at the rate of $10 a month, that would raise enough not only to keep the blog going but to substantially support the other astronomy and faith outreach activities of the Vatican Observatory Foundation. And, by the way, for those of you who can still deduct… we are a tax exempt 501c3 nonprofit organization. How to do this? Join the Sacred Space Giving Program, and you will have reserved access to the Catholic Astronomer blog! You’ll be able to join in on conversations with blog authors, and you’ll receive a copy of the Sacred … Continue reading →

Posted in Fundraising | Tagged Donations, Giving, Sacred Space, Support | Leave a reply

Sacred Space Giving Program

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on May 1, 2018 by Website AdminJanuary 15, 2018

Support The Catholic Astronomer Blog According to our analytics, nearly 7000 people are regular followers of this blog. That’s great! But only about 100 of you are actual paying members. It is your support that lets us keep the blog going. (We pay our contributors… a pittance, mind you, but still it isn’t for free.) If we could have even just ten percent of our readership support us at the rate of $10 a month, that would raise enough not only to keep the blog going but to substantially support the other astronomy and faith outreach activities of the Vatican Observatory Foundation. And, by the way, for those of you who can still deduct… we are a tax exempt 501c3 nonprofit organization. How to do this? Join the Sacred Space Giving Program, and you will have reserved access to the Catholic Astronomer blog! You’ll be able to join in on conversations with blog authors, and you’ll receive a copy of … Continue reading →

Posted in Fundraising | Tagged Donations, Giving, Sacred Space, Support | Leave a reply

Sacred Space Giving Program

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on April 1, 2018 by Website AdminApril 1, 2018

Support The Catholic Astronomer Blog According to our analytics,  7,222 people are regular followers of this blog (compared to just under 7000 last month). That’s great! But only 139 of you are actual paying members. It is your support that lets us keep the blog going. (We pay our contributors… a pittance, mind you, but still it isn’t for free.) If we could have even just ten percent of our readership support us at the rate of $10 a month, that would raise enough not only to keep the blog going but to substantially support the other astronomy and faith outreach activities of the Vatican Observatory Foundation. And, by the way, for those of you who can still deduct… we are a tax exempt 501c3 nonprofit organization. How to do this? Join the Sacred Space Giving Program, and you will have reserved access to the Catholic Astronomer blog! You’ll be able to join in on conversations with blog authors, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Fundraising | Tagged Donations, Giving, Sacred Space, Support | 1 Reply

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Recent Posts

ⓜ Believing in things…

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on February 25, 2021 by Website AdminFebruary 24, 2021
This entry is part of 60 in the series And Then I Wrote

And then I wrote… in 2014, the national Catholic newspaper Our Sunday Visitor invited me to submit a few words about science and faith…  as anyone who reads these pages knows, it’s hard to shut me up on the topic! This covers familiar ground; but it does it in a … Continue reading…

Posted in And Then I Wrote | Tagged faith and science | Leave a reply

In the Sky This Week – February 23, 2021

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on February 23, 2021 by Website AdminFebruary 24, 2021
This entry is part 184 of 184 in the series In the Sky This Week

Millions of people around the planet have seen NASA’s Perseverance Rover descent and touchdown video – I’ve watched it over and over! I tweeted that this landing made me feel like a kid during the Apollo era again! Cameras were not part of the rover’s initial design – and were … Continue reading…

Posted in Astronomy, Outreach | Tagged Dyson Sphere Program, Jupiter, Mars, Mars Perseverance Rover, Mercury, Moon, Saturn, Sun, Supernova 1987A, Uranus | 1 Reply

Arrival: Mars Takes Center Stage As Probes Arrive At The Red Planet!

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on February 22, 2021 by Website AdminFebruary 24, 2021

These past couple of weeks have greeted us with exciting news from Mars! First, the United Arab Emirates mission to place a weather satellite named Al-Amal into orbit around the red planet was a success! One of the main goals of the “hope probe” is to understand the red planet’s … Continue reading…

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a reply

ⓜ Full Moon-th Meetup: 28 February, 2021

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on February 21, 2021 by Website AdminFebruary 24, 2021

Featuring Dr. Robert Janusz, and the latest news of the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope! Just for our paying members: on the next Full Moon (actually, the day after full Moon, this month), Sunday, February 28, we’ll be holding our regular on-line meetup where we get to know and chat with … Continue reading…

Posted in Announcement | Tagged Meetup | Leave a reply

Specola Guestbook | September 16, 1934: Pope Pius XI

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on February 21, 2021 by Website AdminFebruary 21, 2021
This entry is part 82 of 82 in the series Specola Guestbook

Since its founding in 1891, many people have passed through the doors of the Vatican Observatory.  A quick perusal of our guestbook reveals several Names, including Popes, Nobel laureates, astronauts, actors, and saints. Today’s guestbook entry is not technically from the guest book.  It is from a separate parchment reserved … Continue reading…

Posted in Astronomy, History, Uncategorized | Tagged Castel Gandolfo, Pius XI, Pontifical Academy of Sciences, Specola Guestbook, Vatican Observatory | Leave a reply

The Sun Rules!

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on February 20, 2021 by Website AdminFebruary 2, 2021

If they [the stars] are suns having the same nature as our sun, why do not these suns collectively outdistance our sun in brilliance? Why do they all together transmit so dim a light…? When sunlight bursts into a sealed room through a hole made with a tiny pin point, … Continue reading…

Posted in Astronomy, History | 1 Reply
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Recent Comments

  • Fr. Bruce Wilkinson February 23, 2021 at 4:05 pm on In the Sky This Week – February 23, 2021I completely agree with you that putting cameras on EVERY space mission - without question and without fail. The ability to see the accomplishments of the various robotic missions have inspired future generations to want to become part of the space exploration crowd
  • Ed Yepez February 20, 2021 at 7:51 am on The Sun Rules!Excellent! Thank you very much for presenting this in such an understandable form. Also let me appreciate the math.(a lot of which I had forgotten) With Kepler, how you can make the correct observations, yet still come to an erroneous conclusion? But the observations remain correct, even useful for further...
  • Bob Trembley February 19, 2021 at 5:16 am on In the Sky This Week – February 16, 2021I joined a NASA Night Sky Network Zoom Watch Party - it was pretty cool! When I joined, an engineer was talking about his work on the helicopter - those wings are HUGE! I watched the the landing with my in-laws; it was cool to see the same image up...
  • Richard Hill February 19, 2021 at 12:54 am on Skyward by David Levy: February 2021Very nice meteor photo! Reminds me of one Geminid I saw as I was walking to night lunch on Kitt Peak. It passed right through Orion. Burned a memory in my brain.
  • Benjamin Goodison February 18, 2021 at 5:26 pm on In the Sky This Week – February 16, 2021... and three days later, Perseverance finally touched down successfully and is snapping its first images!I'm sure there were more than a few spontaneous prayers in the NASA control room in those last few minutes... there certainly were at my end :) Really looking forward to the wealth of new...
  • Bob Trembley February 16, 2021 at 8:31 am on In the Sky This Week – February 16, 2021Oh my goodness! Thank you SO MUCH for the kind replies!
  • Joseph O'Donnell February 16, 2021 at 8:00 am on In the Sky This Week – February 16, 2021Thank you for this. Always so helpful and enlightening.
  • Stan Sienkiewicz February 16, 2021 at 7:47 am on In the Sky This Week – February 16, 2021Bob, another great post. Wonderful way to start the day. Thanks for putting in the time to create these posts. Educational, beautiful, and awe inspiring. I really appreciate seeing these each week. Thank you, Stan
  • Fr. James Kurzynski February 12, 2021 at 10:40 pm on Space Exploration As An Act Of Interfaith Dialogue.Thanks Joel! I greatly appreciate your insight and encouragement!
  • Fr. James Kurzynski February 10, 2021 at 10:46 am on Polar Vortex, Snowy Owls, Puffins, and Answering the Question: Fr. James, If Global Warming Is Real, Why Am I So Cold?Thanks for you response! My apologies if it came across that Wisconsin was the southernmost Snowy Owls travel. That was not my intent. In my prep, I saw articles of sightings as south as Texas. The point being that some birds go south, others don't, and its a bit of...
  • Jim Cook February 10, 2021 at 8:05 am on Polar Vortex, Snowy Owls, Puffins, and Answering the Question: Fr. James, If Global Warming Is Real, Why Am I So Cold?Wisconsin is actually NOT very far south to find Snowy Owls in winter, as you can see from its eBird range map: https://ebird.org/science/status-and-trends/snoowl1/range-map I've subscribed to eBird's Snowy Owl reports list for almost 10 years now and while some years have seen more reports of sightings than others, they typically...
  • Fr. Timothy Sauppé February 8, 2021 at 8:38 am on A telescope made by an Angel…Br. Guy: This would make a great beginning to your opening address to the Solar Eclipse Retreat in 2024 for Bishops/Priests. I am going to save this. Fr. Timothy Sauppé
  • Richard Saam February 7, 2021 at 10:20 am on JWST update – Hexagons in SpaceI want to make an additional point on hexagons: In the realm of crystallography as described in solid state physics, there is an equivalence between real(energy) and reciprocal(momentum) hexagonal space. This was mathematically presented in Charles Kittel's (recently deceased) text "Introduction to Solid State Physics". And then something to ponder:...
  • Joel Hopko February 1, 2021 at 11:23 am on Space Exploration As An Act Of Interfaith Dialogue.Fr. Kurzynski -- I too was very moved by the Emirates and the other national efforts (Japanese, Indian etc.) Like you I found in them an expression of the human spirit and even the religious wellsprings that can inspire us toward a shared destiny beyond our fear and confusion. Thanks...
  • Richard Saam February 1, 2021 at 10:33 am on JWST update – Hexagons in SpaceAdding to Fernando's comments 'hexagons are pretty much everywhere in the universe': It can be argued that universal space time can be expressed as oscillating virtual hexagonal (~50 cm, ~8 hr) lattice units conforming to the conservation of energy and momentum and the universe vacuum energy density. There is some...
  • Christopher M. Graney January 27, 2021 at 9:05 am on Faith, Science and Astronomy TextbooksGood! Glad to hear it. As for myself I still think they need more on Kepler, at least if they are going to throw in bits of history with any religion content. It would help with those many students who are afraid that science is all about being non-theistic.
  • Joel Hopko January 24, 2021 at 12:24 pm on Faith, Science and Astronomy TextbooksProfessor Graney -- Call me easily placated, but I was actually somewhat relieved that most of the texts reviewed at least attempted to provide some nuance to the Galileo narrative. Certainly an improvement over the "martyr for science" trope so frequently dispensed over popular media. Obviously much work remains, but...
  • Fr. James Kurzynski January 20, 2021 at 6:48 am on Space Missions In 2021: What Are You Most Excited To See In This New Year?Thanks Janine! I love your reflection on the Al Amal mission! I was so impressed with the video they produced and, yes, I can't wait to see the United Arab Emirates contribution to science! It's something that isn't mentioned much, but should be mentioned more: True science, by its very...
  • Janine Samz January 19, 2021 at 9:37 am on Space Missions In 2021: What Are You Most Excited To See In This New Year?Thank you, Father. Let's see. I am drawn to three! The Emirates one is interesting because of the extent of what they are looking for and from history I know the Arab culture used to be a leader in science. It would be interesting to see them at work again...
  • Christopher M. Graney January 19, 2021 at 8:59 am on “Cosmos: Possible Worlds”, 10-13: Goodbye to a Losing SeasonMy experience with students and the general public is that a reasonable number of people will be amazed by the real universe. For example, people who saw the conjunction on the 21st were generally amazed. But certainly Cosmos seems to think that stuff has to be over the top.

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