'Discarded Worlds: Astronomical ideas that were almost correct'

Head to the museum for a lecture by Brother Guy Consolmagno SJ, Director Emeritus of the Vatican Observatory, and President of the Vatican Observatory Foundation.

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 scientists take from these discarded images of the universe?

About the Speaker: Brother Guy Consolmagno SJ is Director Emeritus (2015-2025) of the Vatican Observatory, and President of the Vatican Observatory Foundation. A native of Detroit, Michigan, he earned undergraduate and masters' degrees from MIT, and a Ph. D. in Planetary Science from the University of Arizona; he was a postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard and MIT, served in the US Peace Corps (Kenya), and taught university physics before entering the Jesuits in 1989.

At the Vatican Observatory since 1993, his research has explored connections between meteorites, asteroids, and the evolution of small solar system bodies. Along with more than 300 scientific publications, he is the author of a number of popular books including Turn Left at Orion (with Dan Davis), Would You Baptize an Extraterrestrial? (with Paul Mueller), and A Jesuit’s Guide to the Stars.