“May you never lose this sense of wonder, in your research and in your lives,” the pontiff said. “May you be inspired always by the love for truth and awestruck by all that each fragment of the universe sets before you.”
The astronomical summer school, launched in 1986, is held at Castel Gandolfo, the venue for many papal summer retreats. It aims to bring together young scientists from around the world to study under leading astronomy experts. The school was on a five-year hiatus, in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Vatican News reported.
This year marks the 18th edition of the summer school, which is held June 4–30. The themes this year include big data and machine learning, aiming to provide students with data analysis experience.
Pope Francis cited new advances in astronomical observation technology: the James Webb Space Telescope, launched into space in 2021, and the Vera Rubin Observatory.
The Vera Rubin Observatory, funded by the U.S. government and based in the Chilean Andes 300 miles north of Santiago, is set to finish construction in 2024. The observatory’s telescope, which is 27.5 feet in length, will take images of the entire visible night sky every three to four nights. According to its website, the observatory aims to map the Milky Way galaxy and create an inventory of the solar system, in addition to other work.
Pope Francis voiced enthusiasm for the research.
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