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Tag Archives: Telescope

Through clear glass.

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on November 22, 2019 by Chris OlsenNovember 22, 2019

I would argue that the gradual improvement of glass as a medium spurred on astronomical progress as much as the ingenuity of astronomers. Since Hellenistic times, glass was all but taken for granted. Sure, it was expensive early on, but it was everywhere. Starting with beads, then mosaic tile and vessels. By the 1st century B.C. The Roman Empire had developed fairly consistent recipes for glass manufacturing. The apex of this was the development of blown glass. More on why this is important later. I could write pages on Roman glass, but I’ll just leave this here: The Portland Vase, layered and hand cut between 5 and 25 A.D. After the Empire collapsed some 300 years later, Europe was losing the ability to manufacture glass. The local masters were dying out, and the Venetians were clamping down hard on their secrets. They had also clamped down on the supply of natron, the flux used in Roman glass making.  They inherited … Continue reading →

Posted in Astronomy, History, Uncategorized | Tagged Glass, lenses, Optics, Telescope | Leave a reply

The Photoheliograph pt. 2

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on August 13, 2018 by Chris OlsenAugust 23, 2018
This entry is part 2 of 4 in the series Photoheliograph

The eclipse of 1860 In 1858, Warren De la Rue was visiting Russia on a business trip and was introduced to the idea of photographing the 1860 Solar eclipse that was to occur in Spain by Dr. Medler. He also was shown a Daguerreotype of the 1851 eclipse taken by Dr. Busch with the Konigsberg Heliometer. At first, he was unimpressed with the detail of the Daguerreotype (that is to say the lack of detail of the “protuberances”, not the image itself) and was a little concerned with the practicality of photographing such an event. He was quick to observe that the state of the photographic art and that of celestial photography itself had advanced considerably in the intervening 7 years. He had determined to make the trip himself, but was limited in instruments to photograph with. He had in his own collection several telescopes with which to photograph, however they were limited in image size, the largest of which … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Science | Tagged Airy, Eclipse, Telescope, victorian science, Warren De la Rue | 1 Reply

Is that REAL?

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on July 7, 2018 by Bob TrembleyJuly 7, 2018

I’ve been asked “Is that REAL?” several times when showing Jupiter or Saturn through my telescope. Sometimes the viewer adds “Is there a screen in that thing?” I joke about how a light touch on the telescope shakes the image around a bit – sometimes I get gasps from the viewer when I do that, when they realize that YUP! It’s REAL! This morning, in the glum moments before my first cup of coffee, I wondered: did those viewers think I had them look through my telescope so I could FOOL them, or LIE to them somehow? That’s a lot of effort for me to go through just to be a jerk… For a vast majority of the public who look through my telescope, it’s their first time doing so. “Oh Wow!” is always satisfying to hear, and common with first-timers. But let’s have a look at that a bit closer – that person is saying “Oh WOW!” because they’re having “a … Continue reading →

Posted in Astronomy, Commentary, Outreach | Tagged Experience, Public, Schools, Telescope, telescopes | Leave a reply

In the Sky this Week – January 23, 2018

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on January 23, 2018 by Bob TrembleyJanuary 23, 2018
This entry is part 3 of 180 in the series In the Sky This Week

In the southern predawn sky, Mars and Jupiter continue to separate after their recent conjunction; Mars will slowly make its way southeast towards Saturn over the next several weeks. Saturn will get higher in the southeastern predawn sky with each passing morning. The Moon The Moon is a waxing crescent, visible in the southwestern sky at dusk, and setting around midnight.   The Moon will be at first-quarter on the 24th, and will be a waxing gibbous for the rest of the week, heading toward full on the 31st. The Moon will be a great observing target this week. On January 31st there will be a total lunar eclipse – this will be the first Blue Moon eclipse in 150 years! The Sun The Sun is spot-free, which was a shame last weekend – I set up my telescopes at ConFusion – a Science Fiction convention in the Metro-Detroit area. I’ve been bringing my telescopes to these conventions for several years now, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Astronomy, Outreach | Tagged Conjunction, Convention, Coronal Hole, Jupiter, Mars, Moon, Sun, Sunspot, Telescope | 3 Replies
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Recent Posts

ⓜ Calendars and Giving Tuesday, the results… and other items: Diary of 26 January, 2021

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on January 27, 2021 by Br. Guy ConsolmagnoJanuary 27, 2021
This entry is part 64 of 64 in the series Diary

Back in November, we ran a “Giving Tuesday” campaign to support our prison outreach, where we send calendars to inmates in prison. A few days ago I asked our development coordinator, Fr. Justin Whittington, for a summary of how that went. He replied: So far we have sent out 244 … Continue reading…

Posted in Diary | Tagged Calendars, Pope Francis | Leave a reply

A CRACK IN THAT CRATER

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on January 26, 2021 by Richard HillJanuary 26, 2021
This entry is part 40 of 40 in the series Lunarcy

As each lunation begins one of the first craters that stands out is Petavius (182km dia.) with the large wide rima that crosses the crater floor from the central peaks to the southwestern wall. In my first lunar image of the crescent moon in 1972 (taken on Tri-X film through … Continue reading…

Posted in Astronomy, Moon | Tagged Craters, Petavius, rima | Leave a reply

From The Backyard: Covid-19 Vaccines, Cultural Trauma, and the Orion Nebula

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on January 25, 2021 by Fr. James KurzynskiJanuary 25, 2021

It’s been a long, long time since I offered a “From the backyard” reflection. Part of the reason for this delay is the occupational hazard of all astro-buffs: Clouds! I can’t speak for other parts of the United States, but the cloud cover over Wisconsin has been epic. Clouds at … Continue reading…

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a reply

Specola Guestbook | September 25, 1983: Leo O’Donovan SJ

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on January 24, 2021 by Robert MackeJanuary 24, 2021
This entry is part 78 of 78 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. Once again, we break the chronological sequence to highlight a name relevant to events of this past … Continue reading…

Posted in History, Popular Culture | Tagged Georgetown, Inauguration, O'Donovan, Specola Guestbook, Vatican Observatory, Weston | Leave a reply

Faith, Science and Astronomy Textbooks

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on January 23, 2021 by Christopher M. GraneyJanuary 19, 2021

Take a look at a new resource on the Vatican Observatory Faith and Science website!—brief reviews of astronomy textbooks from a “Faith and Science” perspective.  You will find all this under “Educational Resources”. The idea for these reviews arose from questions that Vatican Observatory/V.O. Foundation folks have received over time, … Continue reading…

Posted in Education | 2 Replies

Go Observe Plato

Sacred Space Astronomy avatarPosted on January 22, 2021 by Deirdre KelleghanJanuary 22, 2021

  Plato – Walled Plain by Deirdre Kelleghan February 25th 2007 – 20:45UT – 21:45UT 200mm/F6/6.3mm – Plossel/193X – 8.19days – 300gm Daler Rowney paper/DR soft pastels/Black watercolour pencil/wooden cocktail stick.   This blog was first published in January 2018. If you read this today January 22nd 2021 you should … Continue reading…

Posted in Astronomy, Education, Moon, Outreach | Tagged Astronomical Drawing, Moon drawing, Plato, Sketching | Leave a reply
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Recent Comments

  • 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.
  • 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...

Top Posts

  • A CRACK IN THAT CRATER
    A CRACK IN THAT CRATER
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    ⓜ Calendars and Giving Tuesday, the results… and other items: Diary of 26 January, 2021
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    Biblical Signs in the Sky? September 23, 2017
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    Stanley Jaki, OSB - The Priest Who Questioned the Plausibility of a Theory of Everything (TOE)
  • From The Backyard: Covid-19 Vaccines, Cultural Trauma, and the Orion Nebula
    From The Backyard: Covid-19 Vaccines, Cultural Trauma, and the Orion Nebula
  • ⓜ Full Moon-th Meetup: 28 January, 2021
    ⓜ Full Moon-th Meetup: 28 January, 2021
  • In the Sky This Week – January 21, 2020
    In the Sky This Week – January 21, 2020
  • Faith, Science and Astronomy Textbooks
    Faith, Science and Astronomy Textbooks
  • Can Something Come From Nothing?  Faith and Science Communication Breakdown (Part Two)
    Can Something Come From Nothing? Faith and Science Communication Breakdown (Part Two)

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