56 YEARS AGO - GAZING AT THE MOON IN REMEMBRANCE OF THE FIRST MOON LANDING

Around the world millions of viewers were glued to their televisions to watch the live broadcast of the moon landing of the Eagle lunar module from the Apollo 11 mission. About six hours later, Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon. He was the first man to do so. Buzz Aldrin followed him 19 minutes later. It was July 20, 1969—a date that marked a major milestone in the history of humanity.

Fifty-six years later, on Sunday, July 20, after the recitation of the Angelus, Pope Leo XIV wished to commemorate the event by observing the moon, precisely at the same location where the landing occurred: the Sea of Tranquility. He did so through the Visual Telescope of the Vatican Observatory, located in one of the domes on the fifth floor of the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo. The observation took place during the Pontiff’s visit to the telescopes and instruments housed in the domes, or commonly known as Le Cupole, of the Vatican Observatory. The news was shared by the Holy See Press Office via its Telegram channel.

Present during the Pope’s visit was Rev. David Brown, S.J., of the Vatican Observatory, astronomer and Dean of the Summer School of Astrophysics, who explained how the telescopes function.

Telescopes were in fact the subject of this year's Vatican Observatory Summer School. The theme chosen was “Exploring the Universe with JWST [the James Webb Space Telescope]: The First Three Years,” a tribute to the significant discoveries made possible by this innovative telescope, which has been operational since 2022. Now in its 19th edition, the Summer School took place from June 1 to 27 and was attended by twenty-four young astronomers from twenty-two different countries. It is a biennial event of great prestige in the field of global astronomical education.

On the morning of Monday, June 16, Pope Leo XIV received the participants of the Summer School of Astrophysics in Audience in the Consistory Hall.

On that occasion, he recalled the words of Saint Augustine: “Do not hesitate to share the joy and amazement born of your contemplation of the ‘seeds’ that, in the words of Saint Augustine, God has sown in the harmony of the universe (cf. De Genesi ad Litteram, V, 23, 44–45).”

“The more joy you share, the more joy you create, and thus, through your pursuit of knowledge, each of you can contribute to the building of a more peaceful and just world.”

The Vatican Observatory is one of the oldest active observatories in the world, and the two domes of the Apostolic Palace, Le Cupole, house ancient instruments and historic telescopes that are still in perfect working condition.

In the historic rooms, there is a marble plaque bearing the inscription Deum Creatorem, venite adoremus (“Come, let us adore God the Creator!”). This is the invitation addressed to astronomers by Pope Pius XI when, on September 29, 1935, he inaugurated the new headquarters of the Vatican Observatory after its relocation to Castel Gandolfo. The move was necessary due to the increasing use of electric lights in the city, which made the sky over Rome too bright for observing the faintest stars.

The latest book from the director of the Vatican Observatory combines personal reflection with a detailed history of Jesuit engagement with astronomy.

Br Guy Consolmagno, the director of the Vatican Observatory, has published a new book entitled A Jesuit’s Guide to the Stars.

Published on the 4th February, the book charts the long history of Jesuit engagement with astronomy.

As Consolmagno notes in the book's introduction, this is a story which has its origin in the very earliest days of the Society of Jesus. The founder of the Jesuit order, St Ignatius of Loyola, says in his autobiography (which, somewhat confusingly, is written in the third person) that “the greatest consolation that he received . . . was from gazing at the sky and stars, and this he did often, and for quite a long time.”

The story then continues with figures such as Angelo Secchi, the 19th century Italian Jesuit and astronomer – who Consolmagno says “might be the greatest scientist most people have never heard of” -  and Gerard Manley Hopkins, a well-known Jesuit poet and “talented amateur astronomer”.

A Jesuit’s Guide to the Stars is also a very personal book, filled with Consolmagno’s own reflections and even a chapter on how he discovered his vocation to the Jesuit order. A Detroit native, Consolmagno obtained degrees from MIT and the University of Arizona and taught physics at university level before entering the Jesuits in 1989.

The book also contains nuanced reflections on the relationship between faith and science. For instance, Consolmagno warns against 'concordism', or the attempt to find connections between scientific discoveries and the teachings of the Bible. 

“Both religion and science must preserve their autonomy and their distinctiveness," Consolmagno notes, quoting Pope John Paul II. "Religion is not founded on science nor is science an extension of religion.”

You can order A Jesuit’s Guide to the Stars on publisher Loyala Press’ website here.

Pope Leo XIV receives participants in the Vatican Observatory’s Summer School program, inviting them to share the joy they experience in exploring the cosmos and to contribute to a more peaceful and just world through the pursuit of knowledge.

Long after the human authors of Sacred Scripture pondered the moment of creation with “their poetic and religious imagination,” Pope Leo XIV said on Monday, modern scientists continue to explore the universe with new tools, including the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), whose images “fill us with wonder, and indeed a mysterious joy,” as we contemplate the “sublime beauty” of the stars.

The Holy Father addressed his remarks to participants in the Vatican Observatory’s Summer School, which this year is dedicated to the theme “Exploring the Universe with the James Webb Space Telescope.”

‘An exciting time to be an astronomer’

“Surely, this must be an exciting time to be an astronomer,” the Pope said, noting that the “truly remarkable” JWST allows us to investigate the atmosphere of exoplanets, the nebulae where planetary systems form, and even “the ancient light of distant galaxies, which speaks of the very beginning of our universe.”

He expressed gratitude to the scientific team attached to the Space Telescope for making so many images available to the public, while highlighting the knowledge and training that participants in the Summer School will receive to help them make use “of this amazing instrument.”

For the benefit of all

At the same time, Pope Leo emphasized that the students and scientists are part of a larger community, including other scientists, engineers, and mathematicians, supported by family and friends, that allows them to be a part of “this wonderful enterprise.”

The Pope reminded them, too, that their work “is meant to benefit us all,” and invited them to “be generous in sharing what you learn and what you experience.”

Contributing to a more peaceful and just world

“Do not hesitate,” he continued, “to share the joy and the amazement born of your contemplation of the ‘seeds’ that, in the words of Saint Augustine, God has sown in the harmony of the universe.”

Pope Leo XIV concluded, “The more joy you share, the more joy you create, and in this way, through your pursuit of knowledge, each of you can contribute to building a more peaceful and just world.”

Due ricercatori hanno portato alla luce l'esistenza di due modi diversi di descrivere la gravità in presenza di un campo aggiuntivo che, usando gli strumenti matematici giusti, non solo descrivono la stessa fisica, ma possono addirittura creare nuove soluzioni delle equazioni di Einstein.

Da Vatican News

Due ricercatori della Specola Vaticana, padre Gabriele Gionti, S.J. e don Matteo Galaverni, hanno portato alla luce un risultato sorprendente: esistono due modi diversi di descrivere la gravità in presenza di un campo aggiuntivo (il “campo scalare”) - il “frame di Jordan” e il “framedi Einstein” - che, usando gli strumenti matematici giusti, non solo descrivono la stessa fisica, ma possono addirittura creare nuove soluzioni delle equazioni di Einstein (che descrivono l’universo a larga scala) e che descrivono scenari dell’universo fisicamente differenti.

Per dimostrarlo, i due scienziati hanno applicato il formalismo ADM-hamiltoniano, rivelatosi essenziale perché, attraverso una procedura precisa e rigorosa, dimostra che i due “frame” sono equivalenti, a patto di “fissare” delle condizioni specifiche. Senza queste condizioni, la corrispondenza resta nascosta. I risultati di questa ricerca sono stati pubblicati sull’European Journal of Physics C.

Equazioni complete e corrette

Un grande punto di svolta del loro lavoro riguarda i termini di bordo, quei termini “ai margini” delle superfici spazio-temporali che si considerano per ricavare le equazioni dinamiche. Come spiegano i ricercatori: “Bisogna considerare bene i termini di bordo. Solo così si ottengono le equazioni di moto giuste. I precedenti risultati erano incompleti”. Ignorando questi termini cruciali si ottenevano equazioni parziali e limitate. Grazie a Gionti e Galaverni, oggi abbiamo finalmente le equazioni complete e corrette in entrambi i “frame”.

Il risultato più straordinario emerge studiando cosa succede quando si passa da un “frame” all’altro usando la trasformazione canonica. Se la trasformazione è regolare, si mantiene l’equivalenza: ogni soluzione nel “frame di Jordan” corrisponde ad una in quello di Einstein. Ma se la trasformazione diventa singolare allora la matematica fa il prodigio: emergono nuove soluzioni gravitazionali, come buchi neri o singolarità “nude”. In altre parole: la singolarità della trasformazione non solo rompe il legame tra i due “frame”, ma genera interi nuovi universi teorici - scenari mai visti prima.

Questa scoperta non è solo un risultato tecnico: dimostra che la scelta del linguaggio matematico può cambiare ciò che percepiamo come realtà. È un passo fondamentale per capire meglio i buchi neri, l’inizio dell’universo, e per avvicinarci al difficile obiettivo di unificare gravità e meccanica.