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Did you eat pie yesterday? Or did you happen to contemplate the wonders of Pi?
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Last Month:
2018 Annual Seminar
Tucson, AZ, February 23, 2018
Astronomers from the Vatican Observatory Celebrated the Past and Future of the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope .
Brother Guy Consolmagno, S.J., opens the Annual Seminar.
Fr. Paul Gabor discussing the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope.
Fr. Richard Boyle, S. J., describes the international programs being accomplished with VATT
Fr. Jean-Baptiste, S.J., illustrates the complex tasks VATT can achieve.
Fr. Chris Corbally, S.J., presents how he uses the spectrograph on VATT.
Br. Guy ends the Seminar by asking each astronomer "Why?"

Outreach:
Br. Guy Spoke at St. Ignatius Church
San Francisco, CA - February 10, 2018
A video of Br. Guy's presentation is available here: [Link]
From the
Blog:
That Remarkable Pi - Christopher M. Graney
Wednesday, March 14, is Pi Day.

If you are not familiar with Pi Day, here is the story: March 14 is called Pi Day because it is 3/14, and of course 3.14 is Pi rounded to two digits (Pi being 3.1415926535897932384626433832795...). It has been celebrated in various forms for thirty years. Google did a Pi Day Doodle in 2010.

Pi is fascinating. It is infinite, but it is not repeating and it is not ‘random’. It means something—namely the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. Within its infinity are many interesting things. Its infinity of digits contain all sorts of numbers; you can explore what is in the first two billion digits using the SubIdiom Pi calculator ( click here for the calculator). Try it out. Put in some digits. See if those digits can be found in the first two billion digits of Pi.

For example, how about the numbers 1-9 in ascending order? SubIdiom says that the numeric string 123456789 appears at the 523,551,502nd decimal digit of Pi.

Those same numbers in descending order, 9-1? SubIdiom says that the numeric string 987654321 appears at the 719,473,323rd decimal digit of Pi.

From the
Blog:
Kid In An Astronomical Candy Store:
Reflections On My Tour Of NASA's Goddard Space Lab - Fr. James Kurzynski
This past weekend, I was in Baltimore, Maryland to present on the theme of Cosmological and Theological Heaven for the 2018 Logan Visionary Conference. I had a wonderful experience presenting at the American Visionary Museum and will blog about my presentation next week. This week, I want to share with you an unexpected surprise I received while in Baltimore: A personal tour of the Goddard Space Lab.

A few days before I left the snow and cold of Wisconsin, I received an e-mail from Leonard Garcia. Leonard is in charge of editing grant proposals for scientists at NASA Goddard. He was planning on attending the conference I was speaking at, is an avid reading of The Catholic Astronomer, and wanted to give me a personal tour of Goddard since I was in town. He explained to me that he loves his job because he is constantly reminding scientists why people should care about their work. We had a delightful conversation about memorable mission proposals Leonard helped shape, both those that are active space missions and those that didn't receive funding and were put on the shelf.

One fun story Leonard shared with me was of a proposal for a project called AHAB. The project would have developed a harpoon-like retrieval mechanism to break into the heart of an asteroid, grab a sample of it, and then bring it back to Earth. I mentioned to Leonard that I had the privilege of touring the OSIRIS-Rex mission headquarters in Tuscon, Arizona and was struck by the similarity between the two projects. Leonard's response was animated and child-like as he stated, "Why bounce off the surface on an asteroid when you could jam a harpoon into one!" My initial thought was, "This is my kind of scientist!"


Outreach:
Festival of Books
Tucson, AZ - March 10-11, 2018
The Vatican Observatory welcomed a steady stream of visitors to its booth at the 10th Tucson Festival of Books on the weekend of March 10-11, 2018. A brief rare springtime shower on Saturday could not dampen the spirits of the attendees. Under our tent, hundreds of parents, children, teenagers, interested adults, and even serious university students in science-related fields stopped by to find out about us and enter the dialogue on faith and science.
Led by VOF Board member Nancy Lebofsky and Larry Lebofsky, VO scholars Brother Guy Consolmagno SJ, Brother Bob Macke, Father JB Kikwaya and VOF assistant Father Justin Whittington SJ presented engaging displays on the phases of the Moon, stellar spectroscopy inspired by the research of Father Angelo Secchi SJ, and the observation of exoplanets. Sore throats were a small price to pay for our mission of getting the word out about science in service of the faith. Few walked away without a word in their ear, some literature in their hand or - for the children - a sticker on the arm.
Festival of Books 2018
Festival of Books 2018
Festival of Books 2018
Festival of Books 2018
In the Independent Authors Pavilion, VO scholar Father Chris Corbally SJ and his co-author Dr. Margaret Boone Rappaport gave a ten-minute Tent Talk. They engaged their audience in thinking about teaching science through student interaction, and outlined how their 2017 publication Space Science and Astronomy Theater could help instructors to do this.

The Tucson Festival of Books is an annual springtime event on the Mall at the University of Arizona which attracts well over 100,000 per year and features around 400 authors and 300 exhibitors.

Upcoming:
Society of Catholic Scientists Second Annual Conference
Washington D.C. - June 8-10, 2018
A majority of Americans believe that religion and science are in conflict with one another ( Link: Pew research center poll from Oct. 22, 2015). It may therefore come as a surprise that since its inception in 2016, the  Society of Catholic Scientists has rapidly grown to over 600 members, most of whom are faculty, post docs and students at university science departments.

The society was founded by a group of university physicists, astronomers, planetary scientists and biologists to provide fellowship, student mentorship, and a public witness to the harmony between faith and a scientific career. Stephen Barr, President of the Society, notes that “many Catholics in science - especially students and young scientists - feel isolated because they do not realize how many other scientists share their faith. That is because most religious scientists are quiet about their faith. This sense of isolation can be demoralizing.”

In June, the Society will host its second annual conference “ The Human Mind and Physicalism ” in Washington D.C. at Catholic University, which follows the inaugural conference on "Origins" in Chicago last year. 
The Society is open to scientists who are practicing Catholics, and those interested are encouraged to apply at  https://www.catholicscientists.org .

Upcoming:
36th Annual Cosmos & Creation Conference
Loyola University, Baltimore, MD - June 10, 2018
Keynote Speaker
Michelle Francl, Bryn Mawr College, Chair and Professor of Chemistry, Director of Chemistry Graduate Studies, and author on the Catholic Astronomer Blog.
Topic: Are scientists mystics?

Practically Impractical: What Contemplatives Might Teach Scientists
Friday, June 8, 2018
Knott Hall B03
7:30 p.m.

Impractically Practical: What Scientists Might Teach Contemplatives
Saturday, June 9, 2018, 10:30 a.m.
Knott Hall B03

Post-Luncheon Talk:
Eugene Meyer, Professor emeritus of Loyola University Maryland
Can the Great Eastern Forest Oaks recover from deer damage?
Saturday, June 9, 2018, 1:30PM
Knott Hall B03

Popular Posts on the Catholic Astronomer Blog
Br. Guy Consolmagno
The intense but often erratic news coverage of the events in Rome following the death of Pope John Paul II could tempt one to despair at the state of journalism. With their talent for misstating the obvious, can we have any hope in entrusting to them the legacy of John Paul II, or the significance of his successor? Hope, however, can be found in an example from science, and how the popular press has served the reputation of another giant of the 20th century.

The year 2005 was the year of Einstein. In his honor, the UN declared 2005 to be the World Year of Physics. April 18, 2005, marked the 50th anniversary of his death; and it was exactly 100 years ago that year that in four famous papers he demonstrated the particulate nature of matter and light, and then revolutionized our sense of common sense by showing that time was equivalent to space, and energy equivalent to mass.
We have all grown up in a culture that has produced its own equivalence: the name “Einstein” equals genius, while genius implies shaggy white hair and a German accent. But how did that happen?

Fasting, Penance, Almsgiving, and… Stargazing? A Lenten Reflection on Astronomy
Fr. James Kurzynski
Last week was Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the season we call Lent. Lent is a time for Christians to detach their hearts from things that draw us away from God and renew our faith in Christ. Central to this season are three spiritual disciplines: Fasting, penance, and almsgiving.

Penance and almsgiving are rather straight forward in the spiritual life. Penance is when we do a moral inventory of our life and ask God for forgiveness of our sins. For Catholics, this is most commonly done through the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation, exercising Jesus' gift to his disciples of the ministry of forgiving sins. (John 20:22-23) Almsgiving is the practice of offering material support for those who are poor and in need. The most common form of almsgiving is donating to a favorite charity. However, almsgiving can take on the form of donations of food, clothing, or even our time to help those who struggle due to a lack of material goods.

In the Sky
Conjunction of Saturn and Mars: Morning of April 2nd
For a couple days before and after April 2nd, Mars and Saturn will appear very close to each other in the southeastern predawn sky.
VOF Outreach Calendar
Mar . 15th: Grand Rapids - Aquinas College: "Astronomy, God and the Search for Elegance" (Link)
Mar. 20th: Columbus , OH - Ohio Dominican University: "Religion, Science, and the Common Good"
Mar. 21st: Detroit, MI - University of Detroit Mercy: "Where faith and Science Meet" (Link)
Browse Our Websites!
Take a look at the resources we've gathered on this website - hundreds of articles, videos, and audio files about Faith and Science.
Browse our Blog - we have several authors writing about a wide range of faith and science related topics.
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