I have so many wonderful memories of the days that I’ve spent over the years at the specola vaticana, the Vatican observatory, in both its original location in the papal palace of Castelgandolfo, and later in a convent on the Castelgandolfo premises that had been vacated. I’ll do a longer story some day of my various visits to Castelgandolfo as well as a serendipitous encounter in Honolulu a few years back with the world’s top astronomers, including several Jesuits from the Vatican!
A photo from one of my visits…
I am guessing that a miniscule number of my readers (that includes me!) know a lot about astronomy, the Vatican observatory’s place in the world or what black holes and gravitational waves are but, in the history of mankind, on the world scientific scene, what astronomers do and discover is hugely important.
The fascinating news, as you will see by clicking on the Vatican Observatory website below , is that the Vatican Museums and the Specola Vaticana, the Vatican’s astronomical observatory, announced the opening of the Specola Vaticana Visitor Centerwithin the Papal Summer Villa Gardens in Castel Gandolfo!
Tours will include access to two historic telescopes, a display of antique and contemporary astronomical equipment, a presentation of astronomically themed artwork, and other special exhibits.
VATICAN OBSERVATORY CONFERENCE TO FOCUS ON BLACK HOLES AND GRAVITATIONAL WAVES
The Vatican Observatory will host the Second international conference celebrating the legacy of Belgian physicist and priest, Msgr. Georges Lemaître, focusing on areas of research he pioneered that have led to new understanding of black holes, gravitational waves and space-time singularities.
By Thaddeus Jones (Vatican news)
The Vatican Observatory will soon host a conference to discuss the latest research and discoveries regarding black holes, gravitational waves and space-time singularities. The conference workshop marks the second international conference celebrating the legacy of Belgian physicist and priest, Msgr. Georges Lemaître, who pioneered the theory of the Big Bang, influencing great thinkers of his time, including theoretical physicist Albert Einstein.
Vatican news photo…
The meeting will take place from 17 to 21 June in Castel Gandolfo, just southeast of Rome where the Vatican Observatory headquarters are located. The Director of the Vatican Observatory, Jesuit Br. Guy Consolmagno, presented the workshop and its agenda together with members of the Scientific Organizing Committee during a press conference on 11 June at the Holy See Press Office.
The conference aims to build on the first meeting that took place in 2017 looking at the legacy of Msgr. Lemaître and how his insights are reflected in the latest research and discoveries in areas of cosmology, the enigmatic nature of spacetime singularities encompassing the Big Bang and black holes, along with the gravitational waves they produce, and complex topics regarding quantum gravity, entanglement and foundations of quantum theory.
The primary goal of the meeting is to encourage discussion on the latest developments in theory and observation so that new ideas and insights can be shared.
Among the 40 participants at the meeting are Nobel Laureates Adam Riess and Roger Penrose; cosmologists and theoretical physicists Andrei Linde, Joseph Silk, Wendy Freedman, Licia Verde, Cumrun Vafa and the Fields Medal recipient Edward Witten.
The Vatican Observatory is one of the oldest active astronomical observatories in the world, with its roots going back to 1582 and the Gregorian reform of the calendar. A dozen priests and brothers (Jesuits and diocesan) from four continents study the universe utilizing modern scientific methods, along with adjunct scholars (clergy and lay men and women) from various scientific disciplines, and scientists at major astronomical institutions around the world.
Joan's Rome 