23 episodes

The Vatican Observatory is one of the oldest and most accomplished observatories in the world… which surprises people who have limited understanding of Church and science. In this podcast, you’ll hear from Vatican astronomers and their accomplished special guests as they explore the wonder of God’s surprising universe.

The Vatican Observatory Podcast Vatican Observatory

    • Science
    • 4.8 • 25 Ratings

The Vatican Observatory is one of the oldest and most accomplished observatories in the world… which surprises people who have limited understanding of Church and science. In this podcast, you’ll hear from Vatican astronomers and their accomplished special guests as they explore the wonder of God’s surprising universe.

    Man on a Mission (or two)

    Man on a Mission (or two)

    Br. Guy Consolmagno chats with Br. Bob Macke about being a team member of two asteroid missions:  the OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission, and the Lucy mission to the Trojan asteroids.

    Hosts:
    Br. Guy Consolmagno SJ: Director of Vatican Observatory and President of the Vatican Observatory Foundation.
    Bob Trembley: Factotum for the Vatican Observatory Foundation.

    Guest:
    Br. Bob Macke, SJ: Curator of meteorites at the Vatican Observatory

    Vatican Observatory website: https://www.vaticanobservatory.org/
    Macke Makerspace: https://www.youtube.com/@MackeMakerSpace
    GaliLEGO Stop-Motion video: [Link]

    Intro music: Irreducible by ComaStudio
    Finale music:  Cinematic Documentary by Lexin_Music

    • 30 min
    From Humble Beginnings

    From Humble Beginnings

    Br. Guy Consolmagno chats with Charles F. Bolden Jr. during the 30th anniversary celebration of 'first light' into the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope.

    Hosts:
    Br. Guy Consolmagno SJ: Director of Vatican Observatory and President of the Vatican Observatory Foundation.
    Bob Trembley: Factotum for the Vatican Observatory Foundation.

    Guest:
    Charles F. Bolden Jr.: Marine Corps Major General (retired), space shuttle astronaut and former NASA Administrator,

    Vatican Observatory website: https://www.vaticanobservatory.org/

    Intro music: Irreducible by ComaStudio
    Finale music:  Cinematic Documentary by Lexin_Music

    • 39 min
    My Time at the Vatican Observatory Summer School

    My Time at the Vatican Observatory Summer School

    Matthew Pinson SJ is a young Jesuit scientist from Australia. He was one of the students at the 2023 Vatican Observatory Summer School held in Rome during June. Hear what it was like to be a student at the school, and how Matthew’s journey took him from a farm in Australia to a doctorate at MIT, then the Jesuits, and finally to the Vatican!

    Hosts:
    Br. Guy Consolmagno SJ: Director of Vatican Observatory and President of the Vatican Observatory Foundation.
    Bob Trembley: Factotum for the Vatican Observatory Foundation.

    Guests:
    Matthew Pinson SJ

    Vatican Observatory website: https://www.vaticanobservatory.org/

    Intro music: Irreducible by ComaStudio
    Finale music:  Cinematic Documentary by Lexin_Music

    • 39 min
    Roundtable with Vatican Observatory Staff

    Roundtable with Vatican Observatory Staff

    This podcast was taken from the Full Moon Meetup on Friday, January 6, 2023. To begin the year, we had a roundtable discussion with several members of the Vatican Observatory staff. We covered everything from Befana, the Italian Epiphany witch, to the 30th anniversary of the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope (VATT),  and the year ahead.

    Hosts:
    Br. Guy Consolmagno SJ: Director of Vatican Observatory and President of the Vatican Observatory Foundation.
    Bob Trembley: Factotum for the Vatican Observatory Foundation.

    Guests:
    Fr. Paul Gabor: Vice Director of the Vatican Observatory and Vice Director for the Vatican Observatory Research Group (Tucson)
    Dr. Larry Lebofsky: Senior Education and Communication Specialist - Planetary Science Institute (retired); Asteroid hunter.
    Chris Kennedy: Executive Director of Development for the Vatican Observatory Foundation
    Katie Steinke: Development Committee Chair for the Vatican Observatory Foundation

    Vatican Observatory website: https://www.vaticanobservatory.org/

    Intro music: Irreducible by ComaStudio 

    • 37 min
    Sketcher of the Skies

    Sketcher of the Skies

    What spurs an artist to start sketching celestial objects as they look in her small telescope? What thrills her the most? Is it seeing the fine details of nebulae through large telescopes? Sketching the Moon's slowly changing terminator and Sun's prominences? Working with children - helping them understand the night sky, and awakening their curiosity in science? 
    Deirdre Kelleghan is an astronomical artist, living in western Ireland, under incredibly dark skies. With an eye to the telescope, she sketches the beauty of the cosmos, and through her outreach, she teaches others how to do the same.

    Deirdre is a former President of the Irish Astronomical Society, and is the current Outreach / Vice Chair of the Irish Federation of Astronomical Societies; she has been interviewed on TV, radio and podcasts about her outreach activities. She is also a Sacred Space Astronomy author, and frequently posts her artwork on the Vatican Observatory website.

     Guests:
    - Deirdre Kelleghan:  Astronomer, astronomical artist, educator and Sacred Space Astronomy author.
    - Br. Guy Consolmagno SJ: Director of Vatican Observatory and President of the Vatican Observatory Foundation.

    Deirdre 's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@skysketcher1
    Deirdre's website: http://www.deirdrekelleghan.net/
    Vatican Observatory website: https://www.vaticanobservatory.org/

    Intro music: Irreducible by ComaStudio 

    • 40 min
    From Voyager to Webb: Heidi Hammel and the Ice Giants

    From Voyager to Webb: Heidi Hammel and the Ice Giants

    So, how many people do you know who have had a children’s book written about them? Dr. Heidi Hammel gained international fame in 1994 by leading the Hubble Space Telescope Team that imaged Jupiter during the impacts of Comet Shoemaker Levy 9, but in fact her main research has focused on the “ice giant” planets, Uranus and Neptune. Her ground-based telescope observations were crucial to interpreting the Voyager spacecraft flyby images, and she now helps direct planetary observations with the Webb Space Telescope. 
    Guests:
    Dr. Heidi Hammel - Vice President for Science for the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), and an Interdisciplinary Scientist for the James Webb Space Telescope.
    - Br. Guy Consolmagno SJ - Director of Vatican Observatory and President of the Vatican Observatory Foundation.

    Vatican Observatory website: https://www.vaticanobservatory.org/

    Intro music: Irreducible by ComaStudio

    • 47 min

Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5
25 Ratings

25 Ratings

wjm5107 ,

Deep thanks

Wonderful insights shared by Brother Guy and guests.

Tiberius J. ,

Catholicism & Astronomy

I am happy to see the Vatican Observatory Foundation moving into the medium of podcasts to proclaim the good news of the compatibility of faith and science. It’s wonderful to hear a scientist’s faith intermingled with her/his joyful discussions on subjects of astronomy. It’s also very enlightening to discover the involvement of the Vatican Obseratory in astronomy. Episode 3 has been the best so far.

Top Podcasts In Science

Hidden Brain
Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam
Radiolab
WNYC Studios
Ologies with Alie Ward
Alie Ward
Something You Should Know
Mike Carruthers | OmniCast Media | Cumulus Podcast Network
StarTalk Radio
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Sasquatch Chronicles
Sasquatch Chronicles - Bigfoot Encounters

You Might Also Like

Inside The Vatican
America Media
Catholic Saints
Augustine Institute
The Word on Fire Show - Catholic Faith and Culture
Bishop Robert Barron
Jesuitical
America Media
Universe Today Podcast
Fraser Cain
The Supermassive Podcast
The Royal Astronomical Society