Category Archives: Uncategorized

What Is A Patio… I Mean An Observatory?

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This past month, I have embarked on a personal project: Designing an outdoor patio. The reason for this project is multilayered. From the perspective of being the Pastor of St. Olaf Parish, we own a vacant lot next to my rectory that is empty. Due to zoning regulations, there is very little we can do with this lot since we are within the direct flight path of the Eau Claire Municipal Airport. A garden patio is one of the few things that would both beautify the lot and respect the zoning laws. On a personal level, I come from a family that, during summer, would spend a great deal of time on our outdoor deck. When visiting home, it is common to wake up to an empty house as my parents would be having their morning coffee outside. This simple wood structure, combined with the beauty of our central Wisconsin farm, became a true oasis for the family. The simple, … Continue reading →

What Was Your Experience Of Apollo 11?

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What was your experience of Apollo 11? A few weeks back, I was honored to be interviewed by Dennis Sadowski for a piece he was writing about the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11. For those who would like to read the article, you can either click here or on the image of Buzz Aldrin next to the flag of the United States. Dennis and I had a wonderful conversation about my “memory” of Apollo 11… even though I was born 4 years after it happened. At first, you may think that I have little to offer in answering the question, “What was your experience of Apollo 11?” However, knowing that Dennis was going to explore this question with me, I started to reflect on how Apollo 11 was presented to me as a youth after the fact in contrast that to my parishioners at St. Olaf who did experience the Apollo 11 landing. The first insight that surprised me was how … Continue reading →

Specola Guestbook: October 11, 1909 – Eduard Study

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This entry is part 7 of 9 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 11, 1909, when Eduard Study made a visit. Next to his name, Christian Hugo Eduard Study (1862-1930) wrote “Bonn a. Rh. Argelanderstr. 126” (Bonn am Rhein, Argelanderstraße 126).  He signed the guestbook again on April 10 of the following year. Eduard Study was a mathematician who made significant contributions in the field.  At the time of his visit, he was a professor of mathematics at the University of Bonn. His contributions include the associative algebra of dual quaternions, kinematics, hypercomplex numbers, and, pertaining to quantum chemistry, a theory governing the coupling of angular momenta (that also applied to electron spin couplings). At least two mathematical concepts bear his name: Study quaternions (aka semiquaternions) and the Fubini-Study metric.   … Continue reading →

Max Planck on Religion and Science

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My post from last week was about a cool entry on the Vatican Observatory—Faith and Science site about Enrico Fermi (click here for that post).  I had come across Fermi again as I was doing a periodic review of all 500 entries in the site (which I edit), looking for errors and broken links. In that same review, I came across some other cool entries regarding Max Planck.  Planck was one of the key figures in the development of quantum mechanics.  I was thinking about doing a post on these Planck entries when Fr. Kurzynski’s “Dispelling the Myth” post appeared (click here for it).  Upon reading about yet another instance of the promotion in schools of the idea that there is conflict between religion and science, and about Fr. Kurzynski’s effort to present “an image of peace between faith and science”, I decided that a focus on Planck is in order. Again, in my opinion the best material to address … Continue reading →

Easter and Avengers End Game: A Reflection On Time, Power, and Scapegoating.

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One of the understandable occupational hazard that can greatly increase the stress of a Catholic priest is Easter. Amid the culmination of Lent, the spiritual and emotional power of Holy Week, the joy of Easter Sunday, First Communion, Confirmation, and St. Olaf’s parish festival, my time has been rather crunched, but in a good, fruitful way! Many approach Easter as a day and for understandable reasons. Between Easter sales in stores, Easter Egg Hunts, and grown adults who dress up in a bunny costume (kindof odd when you think about it), Easter is a feast that the broader culture has turned into a day of chocolate, chocolate… and a lot more chocolate! For Christians who observe a liturgical calendar,  Easter is not only a day of celebration but a season. The lead-up to Easter is the 40 day period (give or take a couple days) of Lent. The symbolic understanding of this time is multilayered, symbolizing the 40 days Jesus … Continue reading →

Specola Guestbook: June 5, 1909 – George Ellery Hale

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This entry is part 6 of 9 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 June 5, 1909, when George E. Hale made a visit. Next to his name, George Ellery Hale (1868-1938) wrote “Mt. Wilson Solar Observatory, California.” The year prior to his visit, he used the Zeeman effect–(see the previous post on H. A. Lorentz)–to discover magnetic fields in sunspots. He also found that, between sunspot cycles, the magnetic polarity of fields through sunspots in northern vs southern hemisphere switches orientation – what is today known as Hale’s Law (or the Hale-Nicholson Law). In 1913, Hale advised Albert Einstein of the possibility of observing the effects of general relativity on starlight passing near the Sun, which he suggested might be possible during a total solar eclipse.  This led to the eclipse observing expeditions of Arthur … Continue reading →

Dispelling The Myth: Sketches For My First Presentation In Davenport, Iowa

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Later this week, I will have the honor of being one of the presenters at Vision 20/20 in Davenport, Iowa. This event is three days and has as its theme “From Pentecost to Pentecost.” The heart of this event is to explore the New Evangelization through the eyes of Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation, The Joy of the Gospel. When looking at the list of speakers, it becomes clear that this will be a wonderful event for the people of Davenport! Below are some examples of presentations that will happen at 20/20: From Pentecost to Pentecost. I would have shared all the presentations, but to do so would have meant nine pages of presenters! Please pray for the success of 20/20! As you can see in the summary notes, my presentation will be offering an image of peace between faith and science, especially with our youth. The starting point of my presentation will be a recent pastoral experience that is not … Continue reading →

Faith and Tragedy

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I wish to apologize for my absence from Sacred Space Astronomy these past few weeks. The Easter season is a time that dramatically increases the workload for a priest. In addition to Holy Week and Easter Sunday, the weeks that follow are typically the time parishes will celebrate First Communion for our 2nd Grade students and Confirmation for our Sophomores. Throw in Mother’s Day and our parish FunFest and you begin to see the reason for my absence. Sadly, there are also unanticipated moments that become a struggle for a priest, a parish, and a community. The Tuesday after Easter Sunday, one of our parish youth, Williamefipanio Hessel, went missing in the Chippewa River. Will and his friends decided, on a beautiful Tuesday afternoon, to go to one of the local parks to swim. Sadly, given the higher and faster river waters due to seasonal flooding, Will disappeared while swimming. It was announced yesterday that Will was found. I would … Continue reading →

Specola Guestbook: April 27, 1908 – Simon Newcomb

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This entry is part 3 of 9 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 April 27, 1908, when Simon Newcomb made a visit. Next to his name Simon Newcomb (1835-1909) wrote, “Professor U.S.N. [United States Navy], Washington D.C.”  He was an astronomer and mathematician who served as the director of the National Almanac Office and later as a professor of mathematics and astronomy at Johns Hopkins University and in the U.S. Navy. Among his astronomical contributions, he was primarily interested in celestial mechanics, planetary motion, and improving navigation.  He published a book on ephemerides, entitled Tables of the Sun, that became the official international standard basis for related astronomical constants.  He corrected a table of lunar positions by incorporating data going back to 1672. He also made a few other contributions. He collaborated with Albert Michelson … Continue reading →

Specola Guestbook: April 24, 1908 – Elis Stromgren

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This entry is part 2 of 9 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 April 24, 1908, when Elis Strömgren made a visit. Next to his name, Svante Elis Strömgren (1870-1947) wrote, “Professor an der Universität, Kopenhagen” (Professor at the University of Copenhagen). He was a noteworthy astronomer who in 1907 became director of the Observatory of Copenhagen.  His area of interest was primarily celestial mechanics, and he computed orbits for several comets.  The asteroid (1422) Stromgrenia is named for him. What makes him particularly notable, however, is not his own contribution but that of his children. Bengt Strömgren (1908-1987) made several significant advances in astrophysics, including the measurement of elemental composition of stars: 70% hydrogen, 27% helium, and the remaining 3% everything else.  I will write more about him in a future post, as he also … Continue reading →

Specola Guestbook: April 9 1907 – H. A. Lorentz

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This entry is part 1 of 9 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.  This is the first post in a new series that will highlight some of these notable visitors. Today’s guestbook entry is from April 9, 1907.  On that day, H. A. Lorentz signed the book. Hendrik Antoon Lorentz (1853-1928) was a Dutch physicist at the University of Leiden. In his inscription, he wrote “Hoogleeraar aan de Universiteit te Leiden” (Professor at the University of Leiden). He is notable for two significant contributions. (Well, he has a list of significant contributions and various things that bear his name, but two are most significant.) First, he developed a theory to explain the Zeeman effect; i.e. the splitting of spectral lines in the presence of a strong magnetic field.  The splitting is due to the effect of the magnetic field on … Continue reading →

An Historic Picture and An Infectious Smile: Who is Dr. Katie Bouman?

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The old cliche claims, “A picture says a thousand words.” This cliche may need to be revisited. When seeing the Facebook pic of Dr. Katie Bouman reacting to the first image of a black hole, I wondered what is more striking? A picture that will become one of history’s most iconic images of a black hole or a smile so full of pure, infectious joy that it has entranced the world. Congratulations Dr. Bouman, your smile is one of the few things powerful enough to rival a picture that carries the historic significance of the Apollo 11 landing! I also think it is noteworthy that this may become the first Facebook profile picture to end up in every science textbook on the planet! Sadly, the vicious nature of social media is trying to damage this wonderful scientist’s achievement. Ignoring the fact that Dr. Bouman is downplaying her role in this image, giving equal if not more credit to the international … Continue reading →