Annual Report 2006

Vatican Observatory Annual Report 2006 Vatican Observatory (Castel Gandolfo) V-00120 Città del Vaticano Rome ITALY Vatican Observatory Research Group Steward Observatory University of Arizona Tucson, Arizona 85721 USA http://vaticanobservatory.org Vatican Observatory Publications Vatican Observatory Staff The following are permanent staff members of the Vatican Observatory, Castel Gandolfo, Italy, and the Vatican Observatory Research Group (VORG), Tucson, Arizona, USA. JOSÉ G. FUNES, , S.J., Director, Vatican Observatory JAMES J. BOWES, S.J., Superior, Jesuit Community, Tucson GIUSEPPE KOCH, S.J., Superior, Jesuit Community, Castel Gandolfo RICHARD P. BOYLE, S.J. ALESSANDRO OMIZZOLO JUAN CASANOVAS, S.J. WILLIAM R. STOEGER, S.J. GUY J. CONSOLMAGNO, S.J. Coordinator for Science and Theology Coordinator for Public Relations Programs CHRISTOPHER J. CORBALLY, S.J., ANDREW P. WHITMAN, S.J., Vice Director for VORG; Administrator VORG President, National Committee to International Astronomical Union Adjunct Scholars: GEORGE V. COYNE, S.J. EMMANUEL M. CARREIRA, S.J. JEAN-BAPTISTE KIKWAYA ELUO, S.J. LOUIS CARUANA, S.J. GIUSEPPE KOCH, S.J. ROBERT JANUSZ, S.J. Vice Director for Administration MICHAEL HELLER SABINO MAFFEO, S.J., GUSTAV TERES, S.J. Special Assistant to the Director Vatican Observatory Foundation Board of Directors Officers GEORGE V. COYNE, S.J., President BEN DALBY, Chairman of the Board CHRISTOPHER J. CORBALLY, S.J., First Vice President RICHARD P. BOYLE, S.J., Second Vice President WILLIAM R. STOEGER, S.J., Secretary MANUEL J. ESPINOZA, Treasurer Directors RENATO BOCCARDO JOSÉ G. FUNES, S.J. RICHARD P. BOYLE, S.J. JOHN B. HENKELS CHRISTOPHER J. CORBALLY, S.J. CHRISTOPHER P. HITCHCOCK GEORGE V. COYNE, S.J. JOHN B. HOLLYWOOD, S.J. MICHAEL A. CRONIN ROCCO L. MARTINO CHARLES L. CURRIE, S.J. JAMES C. McGEE BEN DALBY PETER P. MULLEN KAREN DALBY JUNE SCOBEE RODGERS PAULA D’ANGELO WILLIAM R. STOEGER, S.J. MANUEL J. ESPINOZA BRENDAN D. THOMSON MICHAEL N. FIGUEROA FAITH VILAS RICHARD J. FRIEDRICH ANDREW P. WHITMAN, S.J. VATICAN OBSERVATORY 4 Contents From the Director 6 I. Astronomical Research Theoretical Studies, Astrophysics, and Cosmology 13 Extragalactic Research 15 The Galaxy and Galactic Objects 16 Planetary Sciences 18 History and Philosophy of Science; Interdisciplinary Studies 22 II. Instrumentation and Technical Services 22 III. Observatory and Staff Activities Vatican Observatory Foundation Annual Meeting 24 Vatican Observatory Conferences 25 Presentations and Academic Activities 25 Public and Educational Outreach 28 Conference Participation 33 IV. Publications 35 V. Observatory Visitors 42 COVER Dome of the Zeiss Visual Refractor Telescope at Castel Gandolfo Editor: Elizabeth J. Maggio Cover Artist: Dave Fischer 5 ANNUAL REPORT 2006 VATICAN OBSERVATORY From the Director Times of Transition A transition generates fear and hope. Fear for the unknown and hope for a better future. I am confi- dent in the Providence that we will always face a better future, though we know that “all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now” (Romans 8:22). Here I would like to highlight two impor- tant transitions in the directorship of the Vatican Observatory. One Hundred Years Ago: The First Jesuit Director The year 1906 was a year of transition for the Vatican Observatory. That year, after a difficult period in the history of the Observatory, Johann Hagen, S.J., arrived in Rome following his appointment by Pius X as the new director of the Vatican Observatory. At that time, Father Hagen was a well-known astronomer and the Director of the Jesuit Georgetown College Observatory in Washing- ton, D.C. The appointment of Father Hagen, a Jesuit, marked a new direction for the Observatory. Father Hagen’s contributions are described in a booklet written by Sabino Maffeo, S.J., Special As- sistant to the Director. In this historical narrative, whose title in English is J.G. Hagen, S.J., As- tronomer and Priest, Father Maffeo writes: “Today when the Jesuits at the Vatican Observatory are asked by visitors and journalists about the relationship between science and faith, the quick and easy answer to that question is to say that the fact that we are religious men and scientists tells more than words that science and faith are completely compatible.” Father Hagen was an exemplar witness of science and faith. We try to follow in his steps. And Now, Another Transition The year 2006 was another time of transition at the Vatican Observatory. On 20 August L’Osserva- tore Romano, the Vatican’s official newspaper, announced that Pope Benedict XVI had appointed me the new Director of the Vatican Observatory, succeeding George Coyne, S.J., in that office. After 28 years of service, Father Coyne asked our superiors in May if they didn't think it was time for the Vatican Observatory to select a new director, and they agreed to accept his resignation as well as appoint a new director. He is taking a well-deserved sabbatical at St. Raphael Catholic Church in Raleigh, North Carolina and will rejoin the Vatican Observatory in September 2007. Fa- ther Coyne remains as President of the Vatican Observatory Foundation Board of Directors. The entire Observatory staff is most grateful to Father Coyne for his years of inspired leadership. Personally, I am delighted that Father Coyne will continue his work with the Vatican Observatory Foundation and that after the sabbatical year he will be back with the Vatican Observatory. Father Coyne’s Directorship Prior to being appointed Director of the Vatican Observatory in 1978, Father Coyne was Director of the Catalina Observatory and Acting Director of Steward Observatory; both institutions are part of 6 the University of Arizona. When the need arose to estab- George lish another observing station for the Vatican Observa- Coyne, S.J., tory, Father Coyne was able to establish a formal collabo- retired in 2006 after 28 years ration in 1980 between the Specola Vaticana (the Obser- as Director of vatory’s name in Italian) and the University of Arizona. the Vatican This led to the establishment of the Vatican Observatory Observatory. Research Group (VORG) at the university. The clearest and most tangible sign of the fruitfulness of this collabo- ration is the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope (VATT), which was inaugurated in 1993 on Mt. Graham. The existence and continued operation of VATT is possible thanks to the generosity of our friends of the Vatican Observatory Foundation. Under Father Coyne’s directorship a new period began at the Specola. The Observatory’s astronomers and astrophysicists now spend 10 months at the VORG in Tucson, although Castel Gandolfo continues to be the Observatory’s administrative home, hosting the work of non-observing staff members and guest researchers. The Director’s office is located in Castel Gandolfo, along with the Observatory’s library and computers. During the summer months, staff members return there to discuss observatory programs, and to participate in scientific meetings and the Vatican Observatory Summer Schools. The Vatican Observatory Summer Schools (VOSS) are another major achievement of Father Coyne’s directorship. We are very proud of the success of our summer schools in encouraging young scholars to establish pro- fessional friendships with faculty and students. We have now held ten VOSS, producing around 250 alumni plus faculty members. Around 85% of the alumni are still ac- tive in research and/or are teaching astrophysics, many of them at major research centers throughout the world. I am proud to be an alumnus of the 2003 VOSS. Under Father Coyne’s leadership, the Specola has flour- ished. It has had a major impact on the mass media and popular culture. Consequently, the Vatican Observatory José Funes, S.J., new Director of the Vatican is a highly visible symbol of the Church’s engagement Observatory with the contemporary world. The Observatory has also made its mark in interdisciplinary studies. In our service to the Holy See, the science–faith dialog is a natural consequence of our scientific activities. Our two-fold competency makes us special inter- locutors in the dialogue between the Church and the world of Science. Father Coyne was a driving force behind this dialogue through the organization of many meetings and the publications generated by them. 7 ANNUAL REPORT 2006 VATICAN OBSERVATORY At the time of my appointment as the new Director, I was participating in the International Astro- nomical Union General Assembly in Prague. The fact that I was participating in this prestigious meeting is not a minor detail. It tells me about the mission of the Vatican Observatory, which is to be the presence of the Church in the world of Science, in particular, astronomy. We are called to serve the Holy Father and our colleagues by doing astronomical research and helping others to col- laborate scientifically through the organization of summer schools and scientific meetings. Our challenge is to keep doing good science in all the fields in which the Vatican Observatory is involved, from solar system studies to cosmology. The Vatican Observatory I received is in very good shape. The challenge of filling Father Coyne's big shoes is a mission impossible that, with the help of our staff, friends, and colleagues, will be made possible. Research Highlights Asteroid Belts, and Maybe Planets, Can Form in Binary Star Systems Our solar system is a single star system that includes a belt of asteroids, or planetesimals, orbiting the sun between Mars and Jupiter. This single star system is an exception since most stars in our galaxy occur in binary systems, that is, two stars revolving around their common center of mass. Now analyses of data obtained from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope strengthen the suggestion that asteroids—and by extension, rocky planets—should be present in binary star systems as well as in singles.

Load more