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Category Archives: Feedback

REPLIES and e-mails and funds for astronomical research

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on June 14, 2017 by Christopher M. GraneyJune 14, 2017

You are sending me e-mail.  Well, maybe not you personally, but y’all (as we say in Kentucky) who read The Catholic Astronomer are sending me e-mail.  These e-mails consist largely of questions and responses to my various blog posts. I probably should have realized back when I started writing for The Catholic Astronomer that I would have to eventually limit my blog-related e-mail.  “Eventually” has arrived.  I like the e-mails, but answering them is becoming a bit of a time sink. Fortunately, The Catholic Astronomer has a system for answering reader questions and acknowledging reader responses: the LEAVE A REPLY option on every post.  Leave your REPLY.  Ask your question in it.  We will try to answer.  Indeed, the Boss of this operation, Br. Guy Consolmagno, Director of the Vatican Observatory, has asked us bloggers to make a point of answering replies if we can. It is true that to REPLY you have to be logged in with the blog.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Announcement, Feedback | 1 Reply

Five Reasons Why Clickbait Works

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on December 27, 2016 by Br. Guy ConsolmagnoDecember 27, 2016
This entry is part 3 of 63 in the series Diary

There’s two opposing theories about posting stuff in the week between Christmas and New Years. On the one hand, everyone’s off having a good time and not paying attention to the internet. On the other hand, nobody else is posting anything so you have a better chance than usual of actually being noticed by the folks who do. It’s been a while since I have posted a diary on The Catholic Astronomer about this blog itself, so I am taking these off-days to do so. Since the self-referential title promised five points (I just made up the number five now, I have no idea how many points I’ll have) let me start numbering them. Even though we don’t charge you for reading it, this web site is not free. I pay (a pittance, admittedly) to our bloggers, and that money has to come from someplace. In addition we pay a standing fee to Cyrcle Systems for regular maintenance, etc. Some months … Continue reading →

Posted in Diary, Feedback | Tagged Begging, computers | 1 Reply

Fan Mail Poetry

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on July 23, 2015 by Br. Guy ConsolmagnoJuly 23, 2015
This entry is part 22 of 63 in the series Diary

I get fan mail now and then; but this one included a poem, which I thought I would share, just for the fun of it! Dr. Will Buckingham is a reader in Writing and Creativity at De Montfort University, in Leicester, England, adjacent to the River Soar. He’s the author of a number of books, both academic and fiction, including children’s books. He included this note: “I was rummaging through some old boxes prior to moving house, and I stumbled across a bunch of notebooks from something like ten years back. Leafing through, I found a short poem that I’d written having seen you talk at the science museum in Birmingham. A few days after the talk, if I remember rightly, I was teaching a writing class, and I was encouraging my students to write sonnets, so I weighed in and produced the attached poem. The title is ‘The Pope’s Astronomer’’. I’m more of a fiction/philosophy writer than a poet, but it … Continue reading →

Posted in Astronomy, Diary, Feedback | Tagged Brother Guy Consolmagno, Philosophy of Science, Poetry | Leave a reply

Questions from our readers…

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on March 3, 2015 by Br. Guy ConsolmagnoMarch 18, 2015

An email from a blog reader, who writes: “I have just read Would You Baptize an Extraterrestrial and have a couple of questions. By the way, I am a practicing Catholic but with education only in medical science, and none in philosophy. Theology I have tried to study on my own. “The first question is regarding your brief references to transubstantiation. I think I understand what you mean by saying the old physics and metaphysics is not a wrong explanation, just no explanation at all. My question is whether or not you believe that transubstantiation should be referred to only in theological terms? Or whether there is a modern science explanation of its meaning, and if so, what it would be. “The second question refers to what I’ve read in another book, this time by a modern philosopher (Edward Feser). He speaks of hylomorphism, involving four irreducible causal components of material substances, and then about the ‘rational soul’ being the … Continue reading →

Posted in Feedback | Tagged Questions | 1 Reply
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Recent Posts

Specola Guestbook | October 14, 1924: Edward Phillips S.J.

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on January 17, 2021 by Robert MackeJanuary 11, 2021
This entry is part 77 of 77 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 from October 14, 1924, when Edward Phillips made a visit. Next to his … Continue reading…

Posted in Astronomy, History, Mathematics, Uncategorized | Tagged Georgetown Observatory, Jesuits, Phillips, Specola Guestbook, Statistics, Vatican Observaory | Leave a reply

“Cosmos: Possible Worlds”, 10-13: Goodbye to a Losing Season

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on January 16, 2021 by Christopher M. GraneyJanuary 15, 2021

When your favorite team is not so good, sometimes the end of the season can come as a relief.  That’s doubly true when the last couple games of the season go especially badly.  This Cosmos fan finds himself happy to see this season come to an end.  There is always … Continue reading…

Posted in Astronomy, Popular Culture, Science | Tagged cosmos-possible-worlds | 1 Reply

JWST update – Hexagons in Space

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on January 15, 2021 by Deirdre KelleghanJanuary 15, 2021

My small group at Space Camp in Louisburgh. Proud of their new James Webb replica mirror and knowledge !! What an exciting week regarding the JWST announcment that the launch date is set for October 31st 2021 !!! Am shareing my previous blog about a workshop I did back in … Continue reading…

Posted in Astronomy, Education, Science, Space Exploration | Tagged ESA, Hexagons, James Webb Space Telescope, JWST, Launch, NASA, Space | 2 Replies

ⓜ Curiosity and the Exploration of Mars, I

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on January 14, 2021 by Br. Guy ConsolmagnoJanuary 14, 2021
This entry is part 1 of 54 in the series And Then I Wrote

And then I wrote… On January 12, 2021, the NASA Mars rover Curiosity marked 3000 Martian days on the surface of Mars. In 2012 I was invited to write an article about the exploration of Mars; “Curiosity e l’esplorazione di Marte” appeared in the Jesuit journal La Civiltà Cattolica on November 17,2012. … Continue reading…

Posted in And Then I Wrote, Planet, Space Exploration | Tagged Curiosity, Mars, NASA Solar System Exploration | Leave a reply

A Platonic journey

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on January 13, 2021 by Richard HillJanuary 13, 2021
This entry is part 38 of 38 in the series Lunarcy

I always look forward to the appearance of the 104km diameter crater Plato and surrounding environs as they emerge from the lunar night. There is so much to see there I find imaging irresistible. Usually I don’t like to do this wide a field but there’s much to enjoy. Plato’s … Continue reading…

Posted in Astronomy, Moon, Uncategorized | Tagged Craters, mare, Moon, mountains | Leave a reply

In the Sky This Week – January 12, 2021

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on January 12, 2021 by Bob TrembleyJanuary 14, 2021
This entry is part 179 of 179 in the series In the Sky This Week

Venus appears very low above the southeastern horizon before sunrise. Jupiter, Saturn and Mercury continue to form a triple conjunction in the southwestern sky at dusk – Saturn may be a bit difficult to see; Mercury appears slightly higher above the horizon each evening. Mercury appears in the southwestern sky … Continue reading…

Posted in Astronomy, Outreach | Tagged #CountdowntoMars, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Moon, NGC 6946, Orion, Saturn, Sun, Ursa Major, Venus | 2 Replies
1 2 3 … 322 Next »

Recent Comments

  • Stan Sienkiewicz January 16, 2021 at 9:17 am on “Cosmos: Possible Worlds”, 10-13: Goodbye to a Losing SeasonIt is a shame that the producers of the show are not amazed by the real world and need to enhance reality with special effects. I feel you are discussing a topic that is coming up quite often about our culture: the lack of astonishment. I recently had taken a...
  • Fernando Comeron January 15, 2021 at 5:22 am on JWST update – Hexagons in SpaceIncidentally, you can see that we at the European Southern Observatory (ESO, of which Ireland is a member too) did something that bears some resemblance several years ago. We invited visitors to our headquarters near Munich on the open doors day in 2011 to put hexagons together to reproduce a...
  • Fernando Comeron January 15, 2021 at 5:07 am on JWST update – Hexagons in SpaceNice article, Deirdre -and actually hexagons in space are very common, although very tiny. Carbon hexagonal cycles are at the basis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, a class of molecules that compose the cold interstellar medium. So hexagons are pretty much everywhere in the Universe!
  • Bob Trembley January 14, 2021 at 2:01 am on In the Sky This Week – January 12, 2021Thanks for keeping me honest! :) I corrected it to say "Mercury appears slightly higher above the horizon each evening." When you advance days in Stellarium at dusk, you see Jupiter and Saturn get lower each day, and Mercury getting higher. Venus gets a bit lower each morning in the...
  • Joseph O'Donnell January 12, 2021 at 10:03 am on In the Sky This Week – January 12, 2021"Mercury appears slightly higher above the horizon each morning" I believe you mean Venus or am I missing something?
  • Christopher M. Graney January 4, 2021 at 10:50 am on Carols versus Matthew on the Star of WonderVery interesting -- I had never read the "Gospel of James", or "Protoevangelium of James", until now. Below is its whole section about the star, for those not familiar with it. Remarkably, the same problem is found in it. It follows Matthew in talking about the magi. No one knows...
  • Christopher M. Graney January 4, 2021 at 10:43 am on Carols versus Matthew on the Star of WonderI should have been more clear. When I said "This sounds just like the Great Conjunction of 2020", I meant it sounds like that *kind* of thing -- something no one who was not an astronomer would have noticed it just by chance.
  • Alfred Kracher January 2, 2021 at 10:47 am on Carols versus Matthew on the Star of WonderEmbellishments of Matthew’s simple “star” into a spectacular miracle are all but irrresistible. Already in the apocryphal 2nd century Gospel of James it shines with an “incredible brilliance amidst the constellations and making them seem dim.” And over the centuries artists of all kinds have further expanded on these exaggerations,...
  • Fr. Timothy Sauppé January 2, 2021 at 5:30 am on Carols versus Matthew on the Star of WonderI thought the biggest objection to the Jupiter/Saturn conjunction being the “Star of Bethlehem” was the 800 year cycle of its occurrence viz. the timing is off. Also, I am reminded of a comment of an amateur astronomer when he went to Chile, up in the Andes. He said there...
  • Stan Sienkiewicz December 26, 2020 at 1:07 pm on The Sun Illuminates Fort AncientYes, while not quite following the astronomy it still is fascinating to see what these early N American people did to their environment. As to why they did it and your article disagreeing with the solstice explanation reminded me of the book, Motel of the Mysteries. It is a funny...
  • Joel Hopko December 24, 2020 at 1:09 pm on Bah! Humbug. Science.And a very Merry Christmas to you Professor. May your spirit and inquiring mind continue to brighten our New Year! Joel Hopko
  • Fr. Timothy Sauppé December 21, 2020 at 6:04 pm on Was Jesus Born on December 25? The Fight Between Inculturation and Radical Certitude.Just saw this Socrates In The City from 2005 with Eric Metaxas interviewing Colin Nicholl. His book and thesis is that the Star of Bethlehem was one big comet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mT-8O8S_Fw&t=1s
  • Bob Prokop December 21, 2020 at 12:08 pm on Was Jesus Born on December 25? The Fight Between Inculturation and Radical Certitude.It's interesting that Tolkien chose March 25th as the date the One Ring was cast into the fires of Mount Doom (see the appendixes to The Return of the King for the date). It can't be a coincidence that the destruction of evil in Middle Earth coincides with the Annunciation...
  • Fr. Timothy Sauppé December 21, 2020 at 10:35 am on Was Jesus Born on December 25? The Fight Between Inculturation and Radical Certitude.Here is an interesting take by Liberato De Caro, Ph.D., of the Institute of Crystallography of the National Research Council in Bari, Italy, who led the research, proposes that the date of Jesus’ birth. He posits 1 BC for Jesus’ Birth. For your consideration. https://www.ncregister.com/blog/liberato-de-caro-nativity?utm_campaign=NCR%202019&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=102396683&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9xKkcgGuiy7rFyWiX8fgbgA63Wabi_9C-VcU6QmESl4QYoKUDYHXm6DrY_jGwbVptu0roDhgBz363uEIX8dd6P7oOaBQ&utm_content=102396683&utm_source=hs_email
  • Bob Prokop December 18, 2020 at 7:52 am on Pursuing the ConjunctionLooks like we're going to be clouded out here in Maryland. But I did get a good look at the two planets last night (Thursday). They were already practically on top of each other! So it has not been a total loss. By the way, your December 14th drawing is...
  • Fr. James Kurzynski December 14, 2020 at 6:42 am on Follow the Money, the Science, or the Theology? A Second Reflection on the Forthcoming Artemis Moon Mission.Thanks Ed! I so appreciate your thoughts! As a fellow "Star Trek" fan, I can appreciate you insight! :)
  • Fr. James Kurzynski December 14, 2020 at 6:38 am on Follow the Money, the Science, or the Theology? A Second Reflection on the Forthcoming Artemis Moon Mission.Absolutely! Send me a message through the "Contact US" tab!
  • Br. Guy Consolmagno December 12, 2020 at 10:09 am on ⓜ Cosmology and ExpertiseOh, yes!
  • Richard Gabrielson December 10, 2020 at 9:19 pm on ⓜ Cosmology and ExpertiseBr. Guy -- be SO GLAD those were private messages instead of questions from the audience at a big conference!
  • Ed Yepez December 10, 2020 at 4:31 pm on Follow the Money, the Science, or the Theology? A Second Reflection on the Forthcoming Artemis Moon Mission.I think I was too young to appreciate "Earth Rise", when I first saw it. Probably only after a few years of education, did I start to appreciate what the effort was to take that picture, and then the fragile beauty of the Earth (in contrast with the "Magnificent Desolation")...

Top Posts

  • Specola Guestbook | October 14, 1924: Edward Phillips S.J.
    Specola Guestbook | October 14, 1924: Edward Phillips S.J.
  • Looking for Wormwood
    Looking for Wormwood
  • Biblical Signs in the Sky? September 23, 2017
    Biblical Signs in the Sky? September 23, 2017
  • “Cosmos: Possible Worlds”, 10-13: Goodbye to a Losing Season
    “Cosmos: Possible Worlds”, 10-13: Goodbye to a Losing Season
  • Religious Scientists: Sr. Mary Kenneth Keller B.V.M. (1913-1985) - Computer Science
    Religious Scientists: Sr. Mary Kenneth Keller B.V.M. (1913-1985) - Computer Science
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    In the Sky This Week – February 18, 2020
  • In the Sky This Week – January 21, 2020
    In the Sky This Week – January 21, 2020
  • The Art and Observations of Maria Clara Eimmart and Johann Georg Locher
    The Art and Observations of Maria Clara Eimmart and Johann Georg Locher
  • Stanley Jaki, OSB - The Priest Who Questioned the Plausibility of a Theory of Everything (TOE)
    Stanley Jaki, OSB - The Priest Who Questioned the Plausibility of a Theory of Everything (TOE)
  • In the Sky This Week – January 28, 2020
    In the Sky This Week – January 28, 2020

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