Come enjoy an inspiring night on the mountain!
The evening begins with the talk at 5:30 in our Auditorium, followed by observing through both the 60- and 100-inch telescopes from dusk to 11:30PM — the two largest telescopes in the world available for public use. Additional stargazing around the grounds will be available from members of the Los Angeles Astronomical Society. Food will be available for purchase from a food truck, or bring your own picnic!
Speaker: Brother Guy Consolmagno
Topic: Discarded Worlds: Astronomical ideas that were almost correct…
Astronomy is more than just observing; it’s making sense of those observations. A good theorist needs to blend a knowledge of what’s been observed, with a good imagination… and no fear of being wrong. Ptolemy in ancient Rome, the medieval bishops Oresme and Cusa, the 19th century astronomers Schiaparelli and Pickering, all rose to the challenge; and they were all almost correct. Which is to say, they were wrong… sometimes hilariously, sometimes heartbreakingly so. What lessons can 21st century astronomers take from these discarded images of the universe?
Brother Guy Consolmagno SJ, a Jesuit brother, is Director of the Vatican Observatory. His research studies meteorites and asteroids. He is a native of Detroit, Michigan, received SB and SM degrees from MIT, and earned his PhD in Planetary Sciences from the University of Arizona in 1978. Along with more than 250 scientific publications, he is the author of a dozen popular books on astronomy and the relationship between faith and science. In 2014 he received the Carl Sagan Medal from the American Astronomical Society Division for Planetary Sciences for excellence in public communication in planetary sciences.
TICKETS: $40
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