Category Archives: Uncategorized

Capturing the Not-So-Otherworldly Mysticism of John Muir and Pope Francis

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Two weeks ago, I reflected with you on the mysticism of two of my favorite authors: John Muir and Pope Francis. Since then, I’ve been trying to practice what I preach. Whether it be an evening walk along a lake or a late night chasing a comet, I’ve been attentively observing the glory of God through the Book of Nature.  So, what I have learned through this practice? Well, not much really. What is so edifying about the Book of Nature is that when I “read it” or “pray with it,” the process doesn’t teach me something “new,” but reminds of timeless truths that have slipped from my sacred memory. Things like the importance to taking time away from work, stress, concern, and the frustration I feel with Covid-19. It reminds me of the importance of contemplative silence, attentiveness to my surroundings, and simply being instead of constantly trying to become something or do something. And it reminds me of … Continue reading →

Long Crack

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This entry is part 25 of 25 in the series Lunarcy

The moon is almost full and it seems like there is little to see. But on the southwest terminator is a grouping of craters that lead us to one of the longest cracks on the Moon. Near the top of this image are two overlapping craters. The one on top is Sirsalis (43km diameter). You will notice a rima running north-south just to the right of it. This is, appropriately enough, Rimae Sirsalis one main rima with several smaller, shorter, thinner ones on the side. The main rima is 309km long, its southern end in shadow here and the northern end of the top of this image. Just to the right of the nameplate on this image is the faintest traces of the upper edge of a crater wall. This is the crater Cruger (48km) with the satellite crater Cruger A (27km) the sharp crater next to the rima. Further on in the same direction is a shallow flat bottomed … Continue reading →

Specola Guestbook | July 15, 1914: Caroline Furness

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This entry is part 49 of 50 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 July 15, 1914, when Caroline Furness made a visit. Next to her name, Caroline Ellen Furness (1869-1936) wrote, “Vassar College Observatory, N.Y.”  She was an astronomer who directed the Vassar observatory. She was the first woman to receive a Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1896. She studied there under Harold Jacoby. At Vassar, she taught the first course on variable stars offered in any American university. She literally wrote the book on the subject, with her 1915 tome, Introduction to the Study of Variable Stars. In 1910, she became acting director of the Vassar observatory while the previous director, Mary Whitney, was on medical leave.  After Whitney’s retirement in 1915, Furness formally took the director’s title. She would hold the post until … Continue reading →

The Not-So-Otherworldly Mysticism of John Muir and Pope Francis

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Two weeks ago, a small group of my friends decided to explore the writings of the famous naturalist John Muir. Though born in Scotland and known most for his writings about conserving the Yosemite, his family immigrated to Wisconsin, giving us Wisconsinites a good enough reason to explore Muir’s thought. Raised in a stern (abusive by today’s standards), Calvinist farm family, it’s clear that Muir lived in tension between strict discipline, hard work, and a longing for the natural world. Though Muir’s zeal for the redwoods in the everglades is common knowledge, his memoir reveals that every aspect of creation fascinated him. For obvious reasons, I found great joy reading Muir’s recollection of Wisconsin’s starry nights and northern lights. The winter stars far surpassed those of our stormy Scotland in brightness, and we gazed and gazed as though we had never seen stars before. Oftentimes the heavens were made still more glorious by auroras, the long lance rays, called “Merry … Continue reading →

Specola Guestbook | July 4, 1914: William Wallace Campbell

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This entry is part 48 of 50 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 July 4, 1914, when William Campbell made a visit. Next to his name, William Wallace Campbell (1862-1938) wrote, “Lick Observatory, Calif.”  He was director of the Lick Observatory from 1901 to 1930. Why did he pass through the doors of the Vatican Observatory in the summer of 1914?  He was on his way to Russia, where he and a collaborator from the Berlin Observatory planned to photograph an eclipse to test Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity.  Alas, politics intervened. World War I broke out, with Germany and Russia on opposite sides. Campbell’s collaborator Erwin Freundlich was detained and his equipment confiscated. Campbell (an American) was permitted to continue his work, but with makeshift equipment.  Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate and … Continue reading →

God, Goddard, and Asteroid Dust: An Update On OSIRIS-REx And The Parker Solar Probe

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When was the last time you gave thanks to God for the blessings of your life? Amid a deeply stressful time in modern history, to take time to simply be thankful for the good things in our lives is essential. Part of my week of gratitude was to check in with some NASA missions I’ve had the privilege of visiting. At the first Faith and Astronomy Workshop in 2015, our group toured the OSIRIS-REx mission headquarters at the University of Arizona. This ambitious mission to return a pristine sample of asteroid Bennu is progressing as planned! In March of this year, OSIRIS-REx imaged one of the potential “bounce sites” where the probe will attempt a “touch, vacuum, and go” maneuver, gently landing on the surface of Bennu just long enough to capture a small amount of the asteroid’s surface before returning home to Earth. If successful, the sample returned will be analyzed and compared with existing samples of Bennu that … Continue reading →

Specola Guestbook | May 23, 1914: Giovanni Silva

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This entry is part 47 of 50 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 May 23, 1914, when Giovanni Silva made a visit. Next to his name, Giovanni Silva (1882-1957) wrote, “R. Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova” (“Royal Astronomical Observatory of Padua”). He was an astronomer who would direct several observatories during his career. From 1911-1921, he was an astronomer at the observatory in Padua, which was associated with the University of Padua. In 1921, he became chair of geodesy at the University of Turin and in 1923 would become director of the Pino Torinese astronomical observatory. In 1926 he returned to Padua to become director of the observatory there, as well as take a chair in astronomy at the university.  He would remain in Padua the remainder of his life. In 1934, he envisioned a new … Continue reading →

Framing Life: Faith, Science, and The Art of Capturing Truth

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Amid the stresses of returning from sabbatical, Covid-19, the culture of protest that is emerging in the United States, and preparing the parish I serve to reopen for Mass this past weekend, I felt a clear need in my life – Find a way to give my brain a mental break! There are many things I enjoy that allow for such a break ranging from music, art, and star gazing. This time around, however, I had the wonderful opportunity to virtually attend OPTIC 2020. OPTIC is an annual photography conference, typically held in New York City, but this year, in light of Covid-19, the conference was held virtually and was made free to the public. The conference was impactful, exposing me to some of the most talented modern professional photographers. I was drawn into wonder by the beautiful, ethereal landscape/self portraits of Elizabeth Gadd. Her photography took my mind and heart away from the stress of the world and created a … Continue reading →

Specola Guestbook | A few reflections

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This entry is part 46 of 50 in the series Specola Guestbook

At this point, the column Specola Guestbook has been going for more than a year, so I thought I would take a moment to reflect on it. First, a little background:  The guestbook is not just one book; there are several. The most recent sits on a table at our entrance where new visitors can sign in. (Unfortunately, that book shall remain untouched for the duration of the coronavirus shutdown, as we are not receiving visitors.)  The one beginning in 1907 sits in a nearby display cabinet, opened to a page that changes regularly.  I do not know if there is a separate book covering 1891-1907, the period of the directorship of Francesco Denza C.R.S.P. (a Barnabite). It was after Denza’s death in 1907 that the Observatory was restructured and entrusted to the Jesuits. The cabinet containing the book sits right outside my office. I spent many hours leafing through its pages, and was amazed at the names I came … Continue reading →

In the Sky This Week – June 9, 2020

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This entry is part 150 of 154 in the series In the Sky This Week

Today is my 60th birthday; I was awake for 2 hours before I was reminded of that fact by friends wishing me well on Facebook. My thought process went something like: “Oh yea… Huh… … … I wonder how many rockets I can launch today?” Here’s one of them, with a pilot and 2 orbital tourists: The Moon appears in conjunction with Saturn and Jupiter in the southern predawn sky on June 9th; Mars appears away from the conjunction in the southeastern sky. The Moon appears near Mars in the southeastern predawn sky on June 12th and 13th. Mercury appears above west-northwestern horizon at sunset – look for it this week as it will appear lower towards the horizon each day, and be gone by next week. The sky overhead at midnight from my location at 42° north, and from 27° south in the southern hemisphere: The Moon is a waning gibbous – rising after sunset, visible high in the … Continue reading →

Specola Guestbook | May 18, 1914: Walter F. Gale

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This entry is part 45 of 50 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 May 18, 1914, when Walter Gale made a visit. Next to his name, Walter Frederick Gale (1865-1945) wrote, “Sydney, Australia.” He was an Australian banker and astronomer. His banking career eventually culminated in becoming manager and chief inspector at the head office of the Bank of New South Wales. On the side, he developed an avid interest in astronomy after the appearance of a comet in 1882. Technically an amateur astronomer, he was founder and organizing secretary (and eventually president) of the New South Wales branch of the British Astronomical Association. He built an observatory in Sydney, which he used every clear night to search for comets. He discovered seven, of which three bear his name. He also discovered a ring nebula … Continue reading →

Pentecost or the Tower of Babel – Faith, Science, and The Powder Keg That Is Our World

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Two weeks have passed since my travels home and I have crossed a very important finish line – I didn’t get sick! Sadly, that small accomplishment is muted in light of the many struggles and trials our world is facing. And, sadly, many of these struggles can do severe damage to our hope as a culture. When I wrote you last, I posed the question, “What world am I walking into?” As with most reflective questions, the answer transcended what I hoped would be a simple answer. The question I should have asked is, “What ‘worlds’ will I be walking into?” While driving home through New Mexico, I listened to their Governor’s press conference, updating citizens on the state of Covid-19. She shared guidelines for reopening the state and provisions people should follow. With a medical expert present to clarify the science of Covid-19, the plan presented was cautious and slow. When I arrived at my hotel in Santa Fe, … Continue reading →