Let’s try this again!
Join us on May 2nd for a special April Fool’s Full Moon-th On-line Meetup!
Our guest will be Giovanni Battista Riccioli (1598–1671) an Italian astronomer, theologian and Jesuit priest. Riccioli is the author of Almagestum Novum, an encyclopedic work that became the standard technical reference book for astronomers all over Europe during his time.
Note: Riccioli is temporally challenged, without access to Zoom, or a time-travel capable computer; his avatar will be reenacted by Vatican Observatory thespian Christopher M. Graney.
Click here to add this event to your calendar
Our tradition of hosting online meetups with our Sacred Space Astronomy members and the Vatican Observatory staff, scholars and friends during the Full Moon in Tucson (or thereabout) continues on Saturday May 2, 2026 at 9:00 AM Tucson time (with daylight savings time), 12:00 Noon ET or 16:00 UTC.
(And, yes, we know this is a full day after the full Moon… all will be explained!)
This meetup is a perk for our Sacred Space Astronomy subscribers- you get to chat with each other, and astronomers and scientists from the Vatican Observatory!
We’ll also have the latest astronomy news and an update about the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope1.
Giovanni Battista Riccioli was a prominent Italian Jesuit priest and astronomer who made significant contributions to the fields of experimental physics and lunar studies. In collaboration with Francesco Maria Grimaldi, Riccioli developed the system of lunar nomenclature still in use today, naming prominent features like the Mare Tranquillitatis and assigning craters the names of famous astronomers. He was also the first to precisely measure the acceleration of falling bodies using pendulums for timing, confirming Galileo’s “odd-number” rule while also noting the effects of air resistance.
Despite his extensive scientific achievements, Riccioli was a staunch opponent of the heliocentric theory. In his Almagestum Novum, he famously presented 126 arguments regarding the Earth’s motion—49 in favour and 77 against—ultimately concluding that the Earth remains stationary at the centre of the universe. His scientific objections included the lack of detectable stellar parallax and the absence of observed physical effects, such as the Coriolis effect, which he correctly theorised should be present on a rotating planet. Throughout his life, he balanced his scientific pursuits with his roles as a theologian and teacher in various Jesuit colleges, maintaining a vast correspondence with other leading scholars of the era, including Huygens and Cassini.
When? Saturday, May 2, 2026: Rain or shine
What time? These meetups will happen around lunch time in North America: in particular, 9:00 AM Tucson, 12:00 Noon ET, 16:00 UTC.
How do you access these meetups? Join Sacred Space Astronomy and you’ll get an email with the full link! If you are already a member, you can also log into this website, and the link will be visible below.
Join Zoom Meeting
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Meeting ID: 859 5489 4119
Passcode: 232563
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https://us02web.zoom.us/meetings/85954894119/invitations?signature=raQ4pHsRccFmhBhV5QXwzYeeXqMjr5PPyLPAi-EP2Z4
This meeting was created in a non-BAA environment and is not intended for the discussion of healthcare, health education, or health data research.
*The Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope consists of the Alice P. Lennon Telescope, and the Thomas J. Bannan Astrophysics Facility.
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Click here to view our video playlist of previous Full Moon meetups.
