An edition of Brother Astronomer (2000)

Brother Astronomer

Adventures of a Vatican Scientist

New Ed edition
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Last edited by IdentifierBot
August 12, 2010 | History
An edition of Brother Astronomer (2000)

Brother Astronomer

Adventures of a Vatican Scientist

New Ed edition
  • 0 Ratings
  • 0 Want to read
  • 0 Currently reading
  • 0 Have read

In the current debate over science and religion, we tend to overlook the fact that not all religious traditions are anti-scientific. People are often surprised to hear that the Vatican supports an astronomical observatory, yet the Vatican Observatory is one of the oldest astronomical institutes in the world, with its beginnings dating back to the reform of the calendar in 1582. Astronomy was one of the core subjects (along with arithmetic, geometry, and music) in the great medieval universities, taught by the Jesuits. Following the tradition of his order, Jesuit brother and working astronomer Guy Consolmagno considers himself to be a "missionary of science;" his mission: to undo the false assumption that the Church remains hostile to science. Blending memoir, science, history, and theology, Consolmagno takes us on a grand adventure. We revisit the infamous "Galileo affair" and see that it didn't unfold in quite the way we thought. We tour the Vatican's extensive meteorite collection and learn how astronomy progresses despite its dearth of tactile evidence. We get a rare glimpse into the world of working scientists and see how scientific discoveries are proposed and advanced (it hasn't changed much since Galileo's time). We learn the inside story of the "Mars meteorite": how can we be sure it's really from Mars, and why can't scientists agree on whether or not it contains evidence of life? With Consolmagno as our guide we travel to Japan and see how geology informs planetary science; we go to Africa and witness mankind's innate curiosity about the heavens, even in the midst of desperate poverty; and we hunt for meteorites in Antarctica. Most importantly, we see how science and religion can come together in one individual, and by extension, how they both are needed to answer the big questions. What would it mean to us if we did find life elsewhere in the universe? How did the world begin, and why does it follow natural laws? "Science and Religion have an intimate tie," Brother Guy writes, "Without faith in a Creator God, one who looks at His universe and declares it Good, how can you justify the belief that this universe is worth studying; indeed, that the universe even makes enough sense to be able to be studied?"

Publish Date
Language
English
Pages
229

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Previews available in: English

Edition Availability
Cover of: Brother Astronomer
Brother Astronomer
2001, McGraw-Hill
Electronic resource in English
Cover of: Brother Astronomer
Brother Astronomer: Adventures of a Vatican Scientist
February 12, 2001, McGraw-Hill Companies
Paperback in English - New Ed edition
Cover of: Brother Astronomer
Brother Astronomer: Adventures of a Vatican Scientist
February 12, 2001, McGraw-Hill Companies
in English
Cover of: Brother Astronomer
Brother Astronomer: Adventures of a Vatican Scientist
February 12, 2000, McGraw-Hill
Hardcover in English - 1 edition
Cover of: Brother Astronomer
Brother Astronomer: Adventures of a Vatican Scientist
February 12, 2000, McGraw-Hill
in English

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Book Details


First Sentence

"MY FIRST reaction on arriving at the Specola Vaticana-the Vatican Observatory-was one of stunned astonishment."

The Physical Object

Format
Paperback
Number of pages
229
Dimensions
8.7 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
Weight
12.2 ounces

ID Numbers

Open Library
OL9253466M
ISBN 10
0071372318
ISBN 13
9780071372312
Library Thing
125650
Goodreads
1190996

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History

Download catalog record: RDF / JSON / OPDS | Wikipedia citation
August 12, 2010 Edited by IdentifierBot added LibraryThing ID
April 24, 2010 Edited by Open Library Bot Fixed duplicate goodreads IDs.
April 16, 2010 Edited by bgimpertBot Added goodreads ID.
April 14, 2010 Edited by Open Library Bot Linked existing covers to the edition.
April 30, 2008 Created by an anonymous user Imported from amazon.com record