The Vatican Observatory is one of the oldest astronomical research institutions in the world. It has its headquarters at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, outside Rome. Its dependent research center, the Vatican Observatory Research Group, is hosted by Steward Observatory at the University of Arizona, Tucson, USA.
The Vatican Observatory Research Group operates the 1.8m Alice P. Lennon Telescope with its Thomas J. Bannan Astrophysics Facility, known together as the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope (VATT). This is located at the Mount Graham International Observatory (MGIO) in southeastern Arizona.
What you find in this website will help you discover the reason for the existence of the Vatican Observatory, its history, and its many activities. It will also invite you to participate, through the Vatican Observatory Foundation, in our work for science and for the Catholic Church.
We wish you a pleasant browsing experience, and we encourage you to contact us over any questions that this visit to our website provokes in you. We also welcome your suggestions on how to improve our website.
The Vatican Observatory is committed to scientific astronomical research, education, and the promotion of scientific enterprise by being one of the founding members of the International Network of Catholic Astronomy Institutions (INCAI) which organizes the workshop “Exploring the Nature of the Evolving Universe III” to be held at the Pontifica Universidad Católica de Chile in Santiago from the 19 to the 24 of August, 2013.
The International Network of Catholic Astronomical Institutions was established in the summer of 2008 for the promotion of education and research opportunities for faculty, staff, and students in astronomy and space sciences. The partnership between the Vatican Observatory and the Catholic Universities has enabled graduate students to conduct research at the Vatican Observatory.
For more information visit the conference website http://robsaito.wix.com/incai2013