Vatican Observatory Foundation 2020 Astrophoto Calendars are still available!
Get yours here: https://www.vofoundation.org/vof-2020-calendar/
Father Eusebio Francisco Kino S.J. born, 1645 (d. 1711).
Kino pencil sketch by Frances O’Brien.
Padre Kino would turn 375 years old today.
This is a significant year for Padre Kino for another reason. On July 10th Pope Francis formally approved that Kino’s life should be recognized as one of heroic virtue. This means that he now will be declared Venerable, a step towards beatification and canonization, and one bringing joy to people in three countries.
Fr. Eusebio Fracisco Kino SJ Declared Servant of God – news.diocesetucson.org
The first country is Italy, and in particular Segno in the northeast, near Trent, where he was born with the family name Chini. The second is the USA, particularly Arizona, and the third is Mexico, particularly Hermosillo. It was to these places he came in 1681 as a Jesuit missionary, now with his name translated into Spanish as Kino. Padre Kino is an extraordinary example of evangelization, science, and one with respect for the dignity of the native peoples. In his day these people traveled quite a distance to see “the good man”, and that reputation persists among them today.
The web pages of the Kino Heritage Society fill out some of the fascinating details of Kino’s life: http://padrekino.com/
He managed to capture in his single life the three ministries of Jesuits in Arizona today: care of the poor and the mistreated through the Kino Border Initiative which focuses on immigrants; science in service of the Church through the Vatican Observatory (Kino’s own expertise was shown in his mapmaking and agriculture); and education of the young and pastoral ministry through Brophy College and the parish in Phoenix. Venerable Padre Kino, happy birthday, and please pray for us!
– Christopher Corbally, S.J.
Kino equestrian statue by Don Julian Martinez in Segno, Hermosillo, and Tucson.
More pictures and description of this remarkable Jesuit can be found at:
https://www.jesuits.global/2020/07/15/padre-kino-the-missionary-on-horseback-recognized-by-the-universal-church/
Robert Hutchings Goddard (October 5, 1882 – August 10, 1945) was an American engineer, professor, physicist, and inventor who is credited with creating and building the world’s first liquid-fueled rocket. Goddard successfully launched his rocket on March 16, 1926, ushering in an era of space flight and innovation. He and his team launched 34 rockets between 1926 and 1941, achieving altitudes as high as 2.6 km (1.6 mi) and speeds as fast as 885 km/h (550 mph).
Goddard’s work as both theorist and engineer anticipated many of the developments that were to make spaceflight possible. He has been called the man who ushered in the Space Age. Two of Goddard’s 214 patented inventions—a multi-stage rocket (1914), and a liquid-fuel rocket (1914)—were important milestones toward spaceflight. His 1919 monograph A Method of Reaching Extreme Altitudes is considered one of the classic texts of 20th-century rocket science. Goddard successfully applied two-axis control (gyroscopes and steerable thrust) to rockets to effectively control their flight.
Although his work in the field was revolutionary, Goddard received little public support, moral or monetary, for his research and development work. He was a shy person and rocket research was not considered a suitable pursuit for a physics professor. The press and other scientists ridiculed his theories of spaceflight. As a result, he became protective of his privacy and his work. He also preferred working alone because of the aftereffects of a bout with tuberculosis.
Years after his death, at the dawn of the Space Age, Goddard came to be recognized as one of the founding fathers of modern rocketry, along with Robert Esnault-Pelterie, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, and Hermann Oberth. He not only recognized the potential of rockets for atmospheric research, ballistic missiles and space travel but was the first to scientifically study, design and construct the rockets needed to implement those ideas. NASA‘s Goddard Space Flight Center was named in Goddard’s honor in 1959. He was also inducted into the International Aerospace Hall of Fame in 1966, and the International Space Hall of Fame in 1976.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_H._Goddard
Perseids Meteor Shower
Active from July 17th to August 26th, 2020
Peak: Aug 12-13, 2020 – the Moon will be 35% illuminated.
The Perseids are the most popular meteor shower as they peak on warm August nights as seen from the northern hemisphere. The Perseids are active from July 17 to August 24. They reach a strong maximum on August 12 or 13, depending on the year. Normal rates seen from rural locations range from 50-75 shower members per hour at maximum.The Perseids are particles released from comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle during its numerous returns to the inner solar system. They are called Perseids since the radiant (the area of the sky where the meteors seem to originate) is located near the prominent constellation of Perseus the hero when at maximum activity.
Shower details – Radiant: 03:12 +57.6° – ZHR: 100 – Velocity: 37 miles/sec (swift – 60km/sec) – Parent Object: 109P/Swift-Tuttle
Data from the American Meteor Society.
Interactive animation from MeteorShowers.org.
Beginning in the 1800s, women organized, petitioned, and picketed to win the right to vote, but it took them decades to accomplish their purpose. Between 1878, when the amendment was first introduced in Congress, and August 18, 1920, when it was ratified, champions of voting rights for women worked tirelessly, but strategies for achieving their goal varied. Some pursued a strategy of passing suffrage acts in each state—nine western states adopted woman suffrage legislation by 1912. Others challenged male-only voting laws in the courts. Militant suffragists used tactics such as parades, silent vigils, and hunger strikes. Often supporters met fierce resistance. Opponents heckled, jailed, and sometimes physically abused them.
By 1916, almost all of the major suffrage organizations were united behind the goal of a constitutional amendment. When New York adopted woman suffrage in 1917 and President Wilson changed his position to support an amendment in 1918, the political balance began to shift.
On May 21, 1919, the House of Representatives passed the amendment, and 2 weeks later, the Senate followed. When Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the amendment on August 18, 1920, the amendment passed its final hurdle of obtaining the agreement of three-fourths of the states. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby certified the ratification on August 26, 1920 (OurDocument.gov: an initiative of National History Day, The National Archives and Records Administration, and USA Freedom Corps).
Source: https://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc_large_image.php?flash=false&doc=63
By the modern definition, New Moon occurs when the Moon and Sun are at the same geocentric ecliptic longitude. The part of the Moon facing us is completely in shadow then. Pictured here is the traditional New Moon, the earliest visible waxing crescent, which signals the start of a new month in many lunar and lunisolar calendars.