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Gudrun Sailer – Vatican City
Pope Leo XIV has expressed his admiration for the James Webb space Telescope, praising its contributions to public knowledge and scientific advancement. During an audience on Monday,the Pope encouraged young astronomers attending the Vatican Observatory’s summer school to share their insights and discoveries with the world.
Vatican Observatory Summer School focuses on James Webb Telescope Data
the Vatican observatory’s summer school in Castel Gandolfo is currently hosting 22 young astronomers from around the globe. For the entire month of June,these students are immersed in the study of data and images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope,launched on Christmas Day 2021.
pope Leo XIV: “An Exciting Time for Astronomers”
“It must be an exciting time for astronomers!” Pope Leo XIV remarked to the students in English, the lingua franca of astronomy. He highlighted the telescope’s unprecedented ability to analyze the atmospheres of exoplanets, potentially revealing signs of life, and to examine ancient light from the early universe. The Pope also commended the James Webb team for making these images accessible to the public.
Pope Leo XIV emphasized the collaborative nature of projects like the James Webb Space Telescope, reminding students that they are part of a larger community. He encouraged them to consider the contributions of those who built the telescope and developed the scientific ideas behind it, and also the support of family and friends who enabled their participation in this “fantastic company.”
The Pope stressed the importance of sharing knowledge and the joy of finding, suggesting that research can become a motor for peace when its benefits are widely disseminated. He urged the young astronomers to “never forget that their actions should benefit all of us” and to share the “joy and amazement” they experience through their research. “The more joy they share, the more joy they create, and so each of them can contribute to a more peaceful and fairer world through their pursuit of knowledge,” he stated.
Leadership at the Summer School
This year, the summer school is headed by Eiichi Egami from the University of Arizona, a member of the James Webb Space Telescope team and a 1990 alumnus of the Castel Gandolfo summer school. Other lecturers include Brother Guy Consolmagno, SJ, director of the Vatican Observatory, and Father David Brown, SJ, who serves as dean this year. Astrophysicist Maria Drozdovskaya from the Physikalisch-Meteorological Observatory Davos in Switzerland is also a lecturer.
About the James Webb Space Telescope
The james Webb Space Telescope, a collaboration between NASA, ESA, and the CSA, is the most powerful space telescope ever built. Positioned 1.5 million kilometers from Earth, it observes the universe in infrared light, exploring the earliest galaxies and stars.
