Sacred Space Giving Spotlight Travis Rankin Mr. Travis Rankin’s connections to the Vatican Observatory Foundation are rooted in circumstance and affinity. Having studied at Santa Clara University, Mr. Rankin was taught by Jesuit Father Louis Bannan, a brother of early VATT supporters Thomas and Bernard Bannan. Years later Mr. Rankin attended a class reunion in Berkeley, California. His classmate, Fr. Tom Buckley of the Jesuit School of Theology, brought to the reunion luncheon a young Italian Jesuit who was completing his theological studies and was on his way back to Rome for ordination. The newly-ordained priest would then continue his research at the Vatican Observatory. This was Fr. Gabriele Gionti, S.J., featured in the newsletter last fall. Having chatted with Fr. Gionti and learning more about the VOF, Mr. Rankin felt it important to support the work the Jesuits are doing at the observatory. “It is very important for the Church to stay in tune with the scientific community,” he said. “There have been ups and downs over the years, such as the Galileo affair, but the Church must stay in touch with science.” For Mr. Rankin, the dialogue regarding faith and science is a critical work that the Vatican Observatory provides. Mr. Rankin has been a loyal supporter of the VOF since October 2008 and recently decided to become part of the growing number of members of the Sacred Space Giving program. He now gives automatically through his credit card a monthly gift benefitting the VOF. Thank you, Travis Rankin, for your generosity and kindness! And thanks to all the generous benefactors of the Foundation. To join Sacred Space Giving or learn more about the program, complete the enclosed envelope or visit our web site at vofoundation.org. Gravitational lensing & discovery of a galaxy on the edge of the universe 7 Fall 2011 Reaching for the Heavens Interview with Dr. Eiichi Egami of Steward Observatory at the University of Arizona by Fr. Paul Gabor, S.J., of the Vatican Observatory Fr. Gabor: Dr. Egami, congratulations on your fascinating discovery. Using the Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes, as well as the Keck telescope in Hawaii, you and your colleagues observed light coming from a time less than a billion years after the Big Bang. And you found a galaxy that seemed already 750 million years old at the time, which means that it formed perhaps as early as 250 million years after the Big Bang. Could this mean that there is something wrong with our understanding of the age of the Universe? No, the age of the Universe is not based on the observations of galaxies. It is determined in a number of different ways, and it is quite well established. Our data do not challenge that. I believe, however, that they indicate that the time scale for galaxy formation in the early Universe needs to be re-examined. It seems that galaxies may have formed as early as 200 million years after the Big Bang. Fr. Gabor: And speaking of ancient history, I know that you are an alumnus of the Vatican Observatory Summer School 1990. How do you remember that experience? I have vivid memories of VOSS 1990. I still have the picture of myself shaking hands with John Paul II. It was one of the best summers I have ever had in my life. Many of the participants are eminent astronomers today, and I am still in contact with a number of them. This is something I could not have appreciated at the time: VOSS allowed me to have a personal connection with excellent people who have become lifetime friends. Also professionally, I have benefited from these connections. I am really grateful to Fr. George Coyne for this wonderful experience. Notes: This unique galaxy is incredibly far at 13.5 billion light years or 1.6x10^23 miles away. The young galaxy was observed only due to the good fortune of how nature positioned closer massive galaxies with powerful gravitational pull, thus, allowing for lensing—or as Dr. Egami called it “a huge magnifying glass floating in space.”
Posted on: Thu, 22 Aug 2013 21:53:26 +0000