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Guy J. Consolmagno, SJ | |
|---|---|
 Consolmagno in his lab | |
| Born | September 19, 1952 |
| Alma mater | M.I.T. (S.B. 1974, S.M. 1975) Arizona (Ph.D. 1978) |
| Awards | St. Albert Award (2022) [1] |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Planetary science |
Brother Guy J. Consolmagno, SJ (born September 19, 1952), is an American research astronomer, physicist, religious brother, director of the Vatican Observatory, and President of the Vatican Observatory Foundation. [2]
Consolmagno attended the University of Detroit Jesuit High School before he obtained his S.B. (1974) and S.M. (1975) degrees at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his Ph.D. (1978) at the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, all in planetary science. After postdoctoral research and teaching from 1978 to 1980 at Harvard College Observatory and from 1980 to 1983 at MIT, in 1983 he joined the US Peace Corps to serve in Kenya for two years, teaching astronomy and physics. [3] After his return he took a position as Assistant Professor at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania.
In 1989 he entered the Society of Jesus, and took vows as a brother in 1991. On entry into the order, he was assigned as an astronomer to the Vatican Observatory, where he also serves as curator of the Vatican Meteorite collection, a position he has held since then. In addition to his continuing professional work in planetary science, he has also studied philosophy and theology.
His research is centered on the connections between meteorites and asteroids, and the origin and evolution of small bodies in the Solar System. In addition to over 40 refereed scientific papers, he has co-authored several books on astronomy for the popular market, which have been translated into multiple languages. During 1996, he took part in the Antarctic Search for Meteorites, ANSMET, where he discovered a number of meteorites on the ice fields of Antarctica. An asteroid was named in his honour by the International Astronomical Union, IAU in 2000 - 4597 Consolmagno.
He believes in the need for science and religion to work alongside one another rather than as competing ideologies. In 2006, he said, "Religion needs science to keep it away from superstition and keep it close to reality, to protect it from creationism, which at the end of the day is a kind of paganism – it's turning God into a nature god." [4] Consolmagno was the Chair of the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society, [5] serving from October 2006 to October 2007. Consolmagno is a popular speaker as well as a writer of popular science. He has been a guest of honor at several science fiction conventions, including DucKon in 2000, ConFusion in his native state of Michigan in 2002, Boskone in 2007, ConClave in 2009, MuseCon in 2015, and Minicon and NASFiC in 2017. He was an invited participant in Scifoo in 2008 as well. He taught at Fordham University in New York City for the fall term of 2008. Consolmagno gave the keynote speech at the 2013 Stellafane amateur telescope making convention on Aug 10. He appeared on The Colbert Report in December 2009 to promote his book, The Heavens Proclaim. [6] In May 2014, Consolmagno received an honorary doctorate (Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa) from Georgetown University and spoke at the Georgetown College commencement ceremony. [7] [8] In 2010, he was a guest on On Being with Krista Tippett, alongside his friend and colleague Father George Coyne, S.J. In the interview, Consolmagno and Coyne discussed their distinct and intimate relationships with science and faith. The show aired for a second time in 2011, and for a third time in September 2015. [9]
On July 2, 2014, he was awarded the Carl Sagan Medal for outstanding communication by an active planetary scientist to the general public by the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society. [10]
Known as "The Pope's Astronomer," he was named by Pope Francis to be the Director of the Vatican Observatory in September 2015. [11] [12]
In 2022, Consolmagno was awarded the St. Albert Award by the Society of Catholic Scientists. [13]
Consolmagno additionally has made several appearances on EWTN's original programming, most notably featuring prominently in the August 2021 EWTN Vaticano special episode "Inside the Vatican Observatory - Where Science Meets Faith." [14]
Gerard Peter Kuiper was a Dutch astronomer, planetary scientist, selenographer, author and professor. He is the eponymous namesake of the Kuiper belt.
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Angelo Secchi was an Italian Catholic priest, astronomer from the Italian region of Emilia. He was director of the observatory at the Pontifical Gregorian University for 28 years. He was a pioneer in astronomical spectroscopy, and was one of the first scientists to state authoritatively that the Sun is a star.
The Vatican Observatory is an astronomical research and educational institution supported by the Holy See. Originally based in the Roman College of Rome, the Observatory is now headquartered in Castel Gandolfo, Italy and operates a telescope at the Mount Graham International Observatory in the United States.
George Vincent Coyne, S.J. was an American Jesuit priest and astronomer who directed the Vatican Observatory and headed its research group at the University of Arizona from 1978 to 2006.
Johann (John) Georg Hagen was an Austrian Jesuit priest and astronomer. After serving as Director of the Georgetown University Observatory he was called to Rome by Pope Pius X in 1906 to be the first Jesuit director of the new Vatican Observatory. Father Hagen was also the spiritual director of Maria Elizabeth Hesselblad (1870-1957), who was baptized by him on August 15, 1902 and eventually was canonized on June 5, 2016 by Pope Francis.
José Gabriel Funes, S.J. is an Argentine Jesuit priest and astronomer. He was the Director of the Vatican Observatory from August 19, 2006 until September 18, 2015, when he was succeeded by Pope Francis's appointment of the Reverend Brother Guy Consolmagno, S.J. Funes serves on the Advisory Council of METI.
Michael David Reynolds was an American author and educator who served as professor of astronomy at Florida State College at Jacksonville in Jacksonville, Florida. He served as the director of Chabot Space and Science Center in Alameda County, California. Reynolds was best known for his work in science education, both in lecture halls and less formal settings. He also participated in astronomy and space exploration outreach.
The Carl Sagan Medal for Excellence in Public Communication in Planetary Science is an award established by the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society to recognize and honor outstanding communication by an active planetary scientist to the general public. It is awarded to scientists whose efforts have significantly contributed to a public understanding of, and enthusiasm for planetary science.
Frederick Charles Leonard was an American astronomer. As a faculty member at the University of California, Los Angeles, he conducted extensive research on double stars and meteorites, largely shaping the university's Department of Astronomy. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago in 1918 and his PhD in astronomy from the University of California, Berkeley in 1921. Leonard was an astronomer from his teenage years, founding the Society for Practical Astronomy in 1909. In 1933 he founded The Society for Research on Meteorites, which later became known as the Meteoritical Society. He was its first president and was the Editor of the Society's journal for the next 25 years. The Society instituted the Leonard Medal in 1962, its premier award for outstanding contributions to the science of meteoritics and closely allied fields.
William R. Stoeger SJ was an American astronomer and theologian.
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Though faith is above reason, there can never be any real discrepancy between faith and reason. Since the same God who reveals mysteries and infuses faith has bestowed the light of reason on the human mind, God cannot deny himself, nor can truth ever contradict truth. ... Consequently, methodical research in all branches of knowledge, provided it is carried out in a truly scientific manner and does not override moral laws, can never conflict with the faith, because the things of the world and the things of faith derive from the same God. The humble and persevering investigator of the secrets of nature is being led, as it were, by the hand of God despite himself, for it is God, the conserver of all things, who made them what they are.
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Faith Vilas is an American planetary scientist and Director of the MMT Observatory in Arizona.
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Ileana Chinnici is an Italian historian of astronomy, book author, and biographer, whose biography of Angelo Secchi won the 2021 Osterbrock Book Prize of the American Astronomical Society.
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