Category Archives: Fundraising

Fear, Isolation, and Calendars

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This entry is part 3 of 38 in the series And Then I Wrote

And then I wrote… it’s September and so the 2021 Calendars are available! Here are two more reflections from calendars of years past… And since these are meant to support our Calendar guild (click here to get a calendar!) I am not putting them behind the usual firewall… 2021 Calendar The COVID-19 pandemic that hit the world in 2020 brought many changes to all of our lives, including the tragic deaths of people we knew and loved. Meanwhile, even for those of us who were not directly affected by the disease, the uncertainty that it brought to our lives was a constant worry. Fear arises from uncertainty.  Science tries to put constraints on that fear by at least letting us know what is likely, or not likely, to occur. This was the motivation behind the desire of every civilization to outline the shape of the coming year with calendars. Astronomy was developed and supported by our ancient cultures precisely to give us … Continue reading →

Calendars, coincidence, and play

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This entry is part 4 of 38 in the series And Then I Wrote

And then I wrote… it’s September and so the 2021 Calendars are available! Here are two more reflections from calendars of years past… And since these are meant to support our Calendar guild (click here to get a calendar!) I am not putting them behind the usual firewall… 2019 Calendar There are many coincidences in astronomy. The Moon’s size and location allows it to exactly eclipse the disk of the Sun. The visual juxtaposition of the stars Alcor and Mizar in the Big Dipper’s handle drew the attention of early telescopes to discover that Mizar was actually a double star (whose separation is just right for those early telescopes). The shapes of nebulae remind us of horses’s heads or dumbbells. And of course it’s mere chance that the nebulae themselves happen to be not only scientifically interesting, but also remarkably beautiful.  There’s no cosmic significance to it, really. Just coincidence. And yet…  In December 1988 I spent a week at the Jesuit retreat … Continue reading →

2021 Vatican Observatory Calendars

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The Vatican Observatory calendars have been a tradition since the year 2000! Each month, the calendar features a beautiful photograph of the heavens by some of the leading astrophotographers from around the world. The 2021 calendar features the works of: Mark Hanson, Stellar Winds Observatory, USA Damian Peach, UK Bernard Miller, USA R. Jay GaBany, USA Robert Gendler, USA Josef Pöpsel, Stefan Binnewies, Capella Observatory, Germany Johannes Schedler (chart32.de), Panther Observatory, Chile/Austria Bernhard Hubl, Austria Dario Giannobile, Italy Anthony Ayiomamitis, Greece J-P Metsavainio, Finland Tony Hallas, USA Adam Block, Steward Observatory – University of Arizona, USA   Here’s a taste of the beautiful images of the heavens in the Vatican Observatory 2021 calendar: For 21 years, the Vatican Observatory Guild has helped to support and promote our work through the distribution of the Official Calendar of the Vatican Observatory. Each contribution of $25 or more entitles a Guild Member to receive or give a copy of the 2021 Calendar.

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Reflections on a calendar

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This entry is part 5 of 38 in the series And Then I Wrote

And then I wrote… in September our 2021 Calendars become available! What I suspect most people don’t notice is that on the back of every calendar is a little reflection that I write, based on a suggestion — often just a word — from Dr. Brendan Thomson, the volunteer who does all the legwork of putting these incredible calendars together. Over the next three weeks I though I would run the texts of these reflections from the calendars going back to 2016. If I can find earlier calendars I may add to this list! And since these are meant to encourage people to join our guild and get a calendar, I am not putting them behind the usual firewall… 2017 Calendar Why does the Vatican support an astronomical observatory? It’s a common question we get asked, and there are many simple answers.  The Observatory is a way of showing the Church’s support for science. It’s a way of demonstrating that, … Continue reading →

ⓜ Every Full Moon… Diary of 10 June, 2020

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This entry is part 55 of 59 in the series Diary

We had a wonderful turnout (around 30 people total) for our first ever Full Moon Meetup, open to our paid subscribers. We were joined by Fr. Paul Gabor, the vice-director for Tucson, who told us about the reopening of the VATT and the research going on there, including a lively discussion about exoplanets and Kuiper Belt Objects. We plan on holding these MoonUps every Full Moon (as seen from Tucson). This allows us to remember our calendar’s roots, where the “month” is just a shortened form of a “moon-th”, while also letting the day of the meetup circulate through the week. That means our next Meet Up will be on Saturday, July 4, 10am Tucson Time/1pm EDT. Tune in for fireworks! Meanwhile, our 2019 Annual Report is now in the mail. This publication is sent to all of our donors, describing what we were able to accomplish in 2019. Which, I confess, feels like about a decade ago. And it … Continue reading →

Fr. George Coyne “Virtual” Memorial

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We’ve already collected more than a dozen remembrances from people who knew and worked with Fr. Coyne on our Fr. Coyne memorial page. Many have mentioned what a wonderful person he was, how much they enjoyed working and talking with him. If you have memories of Fr. Coyne you’d like to share, please use this form. We’re about 20% of the way to our fundraising goal – thank you to everyone who has donated! Donations to the Fr. Coyne memorial fund are still being accepted, and will go towards the creation of a book with a selection of Fr. Coyne’s writings and the remembrances posted on our site. We were planning on having a memorial gathering for George at the University of Arizona back on St. Patrick’s day, but alas the coronavirus led to the shutdown of the University, so that event has been postponed at least until the fall. Meanwhile, however, Br. Guy has created a video to show at … Continue reading →

A Memorial for George

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We have set up a memorial page for Fr. George Coyne: click here, or type in www.VOFoundation.org/fr-george-coyne/ We have three goals for this memorial page. First, we want to provide a place where people can post their memories of Fr. George. Second, we want to help organize a memorial book which would include a selection of his writings and the memories posted at that site. And third, we want to raise enough money to let us publish that book and continue the work that George so loved: the science of the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope the education of young astronomers, especially from the developing world the engagement with the public with our astronomy our vision of faith and science working together   Please take a look at that page, and contribute what you can, as you can. We’re hoping to raise a significant amount of money, and we already have one major gift to start things off, but we’ll also … Continue reading →

Stupid Astronomer Tricks #19: Wheel goes round

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We’re running a membership drive this month – today is the last day – and as a part of it we’re including this blatant clickbait series… Besides, it’s a chance to tell some of the funny stories that come up during cloudy nights at the VATT! The old astronomer tells the tale… this story is all on me. It was nearly 50 years ago (January, 1973) and two friends of mine and I had arranged to do an undergraduate research project during MIT’s January intersession (IAP), five nights observing the Moon at the Wallace Observatory outside of Boston. There we had access to a 16 inch aperture telescope, and a filter wheel photometer. Think of the photometer as a one-pixel electronic camera: a phototube with a phosphor at one end to turn light into electrons, which would be slowly accelerated down the length of the tube until they had enough energy to register as an electric current. Before the light hit … Continue reading →

Stupid Astronomer Tricks #18: Proper disposal

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This entry is part 18 of 18 in the series Stupid astronomer

Tomorrow is the last day!! We’re running a membership drive this month – our goal is 150 new members – and as a part of it we’re including this blatant clickbait series… Besides, it’s a chance to tell some of the funny stories that come up during cloudy nights at the VATT! The old astronomer tells the tale… So I can hear you asking, after yesterday’s tale of cyanide vented into the air conditioning system, what ever happened to that glass beaker of water and cyanide? The truth is, I don’t know. But according to the story I heard… after the guys on the roof were informed that the campus police were on their way to the roof, to check out the source of the building’s contamination, they quickly fled back to their lab, glass beaker of water with dissolved cyanide in hand. Now what to do? Well, if the Arizona heat would promote its evaporation, probably keeping the stuff cool would … Continue reading →

Stupid Astronomer Tricks #17: Input/Output

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This entry is part 17 of 18 in the series Stupid astronomer

Almost over! We’re running a membership drive this month – our goal is 150 new members – and as a part of it we’re including this blatant clickbait series… Besides, it’s a chance to tell some of the funny stories that come up during cloudy nights at the VATT! The old astronomer tells the tale… Yesterday we talked about the problems of getting rid of the gas in the absorption tube after its spectrum had been measured. Just piping it outdoors left a telltale red spot, so for the next gas the lab personnel decided to be more clever. Along with inorganic chemicals like the ones mentioned yesterday as possible constituents of Jupiter’s atmosphere, there were many organic molecules that might exist there; most of them presumably derived from broken-up and reassembled bits of simpler, more basic compounds such as HCN, better known as hydrogen cyanide. So the tube was dutifully filled with cyanide and the spectrum measured. Now, to get rid … Continue reading →