Vatican Observatory

The Vatican Observatory (it. Specola Vaticana ) is the astronomical research and educational institution of the Holy See. The Institute Centre is located in Castel Gandolfo (Italy ), the research institutions have been transferred to the University of Arizona since 1981. With the research facility VATT ( Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope ) is since 1993 on Mount Graham in Safford (Arizona ) operated in the United States a private observatory that operates with a 1.8 -meter telescope.

The Vatican Observatory as an institution is one of the oldest research centers of astronomy, whose story begins with the construction of the Tower of the Winds in 1578.

History

The Institute was to carry out the Gregorian calendar reform and the review of the book by Gregory XIII in the second half of the 16th century. founded. From 1578 was Gregory XIII. build the Tower of the Winds and introduced him to the Jesuit astronomers and mathematicians of the Collegio Romano for the work associated with the reform of the calendar are available.

Christoph Clavius ​​SJ was known as a leading mathematician at the Collegio Romano and professionally responsible for the Gregorian calendar reform de facto the first head of the observatory, even if no official appointment. 1612 was followed by Christoph Clavius ​​SJ Grienberger on the mathematics chair at the Collegio Romano and also in its function in the observatory. Already in 1610, shortly after the invention of the telescope, he developed there, the German mount.

In the 18th century a larger and equipped with better tools tower was built in the Collegio Romano, who officially served as papal observatory since 1774. The astronomical research under Father Angelo Secchi reached its first climax. Secchi, focusing on solar research and he is considered the pioneer of the spectral analysis.

Continuing this tradition of Leo XIII caused. on March 14, 1891 with the Motu Proprio Ut mysticam an observatory built on the Vatican hill behind St. Peter's Basilica. With staff from various religious orders ( Barnabite, Oratorian, Augustinian, Jesuits ), the observatory involved mainly to a major international program to create a photographic map of the sky. Because of the increasing light pollution, the Institute but then by Pope Pius XI. 25 km southeast of Rome moved to Castel Gandolfo. There, the research began in 1930 with two new telescopes and astrophysical laboratory, inter alia, with a device for Astro spectroscopy. In 1957 there installing a wide-angle Schmidt Telescope for the classification of stars and their spectra.

As of 1981, the research department of the institute was transferred to the local university by its director George Coyne to Arizona. The Vatican Observatory Research Group operates there in one of the most modern centers of astronomy, where it was started in 1993 with the construction of the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope. The Institute is also involved in the Large Binocular Telescope in the immediate vicinity of the VATT. The current director is José Gabriel Funes.

Research topics and Sternwartebau

The observatory and its research has until now - even in the era of large telescopes - a good reputation. The main areas of work are in astrophysics ( and Others expansion of the universe, dark matter, dark energy, variable, "New " Stars, Planetary Science, quasars, globular clusters, acceleration of the universe). Special emphasis is placed on interdisciplinary research (Astronomy Physics Philosophy Theology).

The old has Sternwartenbau 1930 in Castel Gandolfo two domes ( " Specola " ) with several telescopes from the 1950s and a 60 -cm Schmidt mirror, but today's demands only more satisfying extent. Therefore, the Institute the Vatican Observatory Research Group operates at the University of Arizona and additional collaborations with other observatories, especially in the United States. For the galactic and stellar astronomy are significant and were a great double Astro Graf and a specialized laboratory for Astrophysics (especially spectral analysis, see Angelo Secchi ).

Scientific Symposia

Among the many humanistic and scientific symposia ( inter alia about evolution, astrophysics, Big Bang and Cosmology, Science and Religion ), which were hosted by the Vatican Observatory, was one of the last in 2006 an international conference for physicists about black holes and active galactic nuclei.

Since 1986, every two years an intensive four -week summer school for students instead of the Summer School in Astronomy and Astrophysics. A good portion of the handset comes from developing countries, where the Vatican also mediates multiple contacts.

1991 was a special three-week summer course in Castel Gandolfo on cosmology and the Galileo case, attended by 25 bishops from different countries also participated. In four daily lectures, the foundations were laid for a solid dialogue between religion and science, and also prepared the revision of the Galileo process.

The Vatican Observatory also organizes every year international symposia on possible relationships between theological and scientific areas, such as

Known Vatican astronomer

Among the many well-known scientists who operated in the Vatican astronomical research, mainly include Jesuit scientific- philosophical formed - for example,

  • Christopher Clavius ​​, a mathematician, a leader in the calendar calculations and lunar research (according to him is, one of the largest crater on the moon )
  • Christoph Grienberger, mathematician and astronomer ( German mount )
  • Angelo Secchi, known solar scientist, who is also the first time classified the spectral types of the stars,
  • Johann Georg Hagen, leader variables in the study of stars - see the nine -volume Atlas Stellarum Variabilium and his co-authors
  • Johan Stein, Tibor Matyas and Walter Miller
  • Aloysius Gatterer from Vienna, author of the first " spectrochemical Atlas " with all the line spectra of 73 chemical elements (1949, three volumes), and the " Spectrochimica Acta " with today indispensable molecular spectra of 40 metal oxides and 45 UV - radiating elements.
  • Joseph Junkes (Munich ), co-author of the " spectrochemical Atlas " in 1938
  • George Coyne ( born January 19, 1933), until 2006 head of the Vatican Observatory and the field office in Arizona, where, inter alia, ten years ago was the large telescope VATT.
  • José Gabriel Funes ( born January 31, 1963), since 19 August 2006, the director of the Vatican Observatory.
Safford, Arizona Gregorian Tower Astronomical spectroscopy Svishtov Natural science Isaac Newton Compendium Lunar craters Integrated Authority File
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