Vatican Observatory names four asteroids after key figures in its history
Updated
Updated · ewtnvatican.com · May 1
Vatican Observatory names four asteroids after key figures in its history
7 articles · Updated · ewtnvatican.com · May 1
One, Gioacchinopecci, honours Pope Leo XIII, who refounded the observatory in 1891; the objects were discovered by the Vatican-operated telescope in Arizona.
The other newly named asteroids commemorate Giuseppe Lais, Pietro Maffi and André Bertiau, all clerics and astronomers linked to the institution’s development.
The observatory said Leo XIII created it to demonstrate the Church’s support for science; it later moved from Rome to Castel Gandolfo and then to Mount Graham because of light pollution.
With light pollution threatening observatories, what innovative solutions could the Vatican Observatory and others pursue to safeguard future astronomical discoveries?
How might the Vatican Observatory's asteroid namings influence perceptions of the relationship between religion and science in the modern world?
Could naming asteroids after Catholic figures inspire more faith-based engagement in scientific research, or is this largely a symbolic gesture?