By Sean Ryan - 20 September, 2017
The Pope’s Astronomer, Brother Guy Consolmagno is to visit the Kerry International Dark Sky Reserve next month.
The reserve is a 700sq/km area that takes in Kells, Cahersiveen, Valentia Island, Portmagee, The Glen, Ballinskelligs, Dromid, Waterville, and Caherdaniel in County Kerry. It is one of only three gold-tier reserves in the world, and since September 2014, the only one in the northern hemisphere. It has been designated Ireland’s first International Dark Sky Reserve by the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) and was given the Gold Tier Award on 27th January 2014.
The Director of the Vatican Observatory, is visiting Kerry at the invitation of Chairman of the Skellig Coast Dark Skies Committee, Steve Lynott, and will also deliver a number of talks. The committee is hoping to popularise South West Kerry and its pristine dark skies for astro-tourism.
Br. Guy is due to deliver two talks on 17th October – one to secondary school students at Coláiste na Sceilge, Cahersiveen, and the second, a public lecture later that evening, also at the school, entitled, ‘The Heavens Proclaim: Astronomy and the Vatican’. During his Kerry visit, he is also expected to visit a number of sites in the Skellig Coast area and to take time out to enjoy star gazing in the Kerry International Dark Sky Reserve.
A Jesuit brother and a planetary scientist at the Vatican Observatory, Br. Guy was appointed Director of the Vatican Observatory in 2015. 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 continues to hold. In addition to his continuing professional work in planetary science, he has also studied philosophy and theology.
His research is centred on the connections between meteorites and asteroid, 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 many 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, also known as “Little Guy”.
