The Great American Eclipse:
A Jesuit Conversation

The Vatican Observatory participated a webinar to celebrate the Great American Eclipse on April 8th – “Eclipse Day!”

Click here to view the recording.

Hosted by:

Fr. James Martin, SJ

Editor at Large for America Magazine.
(a Jesuit magazine)

Fr. Martin is Jesuit priest and a New York Times bestselling author, whose books include The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life, Jesus: A Pilgrimage, and My Life With the Saints. His most recent book is Come Forth, on the Raising of Lazarus. He is also a consultor to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication.

Featuring:

Br. Guy Consolmagno S.J. at the Zeiss Refractor, Castel Gandolfo

Br. Guy Consolmagno, SJ

Director, Vatican Observatory
President, Vatican Observatory Foundation

Br. Guy 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.

Br. Guy is the co-author of the popular astronomy book: Turn Left at Orion: A Hundred Night Sky Objects to See in a Small Telescope – and How to Find Them.

Christopher M. Graney

Historian of 17th century science
Adjunct Scholar, Vatican Observatory
Public Relations Officer, Vatican Observatory Foundation

Mr. Graney is retired instructor at Jefferson Community & Technical College. He curates the Faith and Science Resource Center on the Vatican Observatory Website.

Mr. Graney was a guest on the Vatican Observatory’s Podcast: Galileo: The Real Story – Part 1, Part 2.

Eclipse Eye Safety

Except during the brief total phase of a total solar eclipse, when the Moon completely blocks the Sun’s bright face, it is not safe to look directly at the Sun without specialized eye protection for solar viewing.

Viewing any part of the bright Sun through a camera lens, binoculars, or a telescope without a special-purpose solar filter secured over the front of the optics will instantly cause severe eye injury.

Image: 2017 Total Solar Eclipse. Claudio Costa, Vatican Observatory

NASA Resources