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Guy J. Consolmagno SJ | |
|---|---|
 Consolmagno in his lab | |
| Born | (1952-09-19)September 19, 1952 (age 73) |
| Alma mater | M.I.T. (S.B. 1974, S.M. 1975) University of Arizona (Ph.D. 1978) |
| Awards | St. Albert Award (2022)[1] |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Planetary science |
| Thesis | Electromagnetic processes in the evolution of the solar nebula (1978) |
| Doctoral advisor | J.R. "Randy" Jokipii |
BrotherGuy J. Consolmagno,SJ (born September 19, 1952), is an American researchastronomer,physicist,religious brother, director of theVatican Observatory, and President of the Vatican Observatory Foundation.[2]
Consolmagno attended theUniversity of Detroit Jesuit High School before he obtained his S.B. (1974) and S.M. (1975) degrees atMassachusetts Institute of Technology and his Ph.D. (1978) at theUniversity of Arizona'sLunar and Planetary Laboratory, all inplanetary science. After postdoctoral research and teaching from 1978 to 1980 atHarvard College Observatory and from 1980 to 1983 at MIT, in 1983 he joined the USPeace Corps to serve inKenya for two years, teaching astronomy and physics.[3] After his return he took a position as Assistant Professor atLafayette College inEaston,Pennsylvania.
In 1989 he entered theSociety of Jesus, and tookvows as a brother in 1991. On entry into the order, he was assigned as an astronomer to theVatican Observatory, where he also serves as curator of the Vatican Meteorite collection, a position he has held since then. In addition to his continuing professional work in planetary science, he has also studiedphilosophy andtheology.
His research is centered on the connections betweenmeteorites andasteroids, and the origin and evolution of small bodies in theSolar System. In addition to over 40 refereed scientific papers, he has co-authored several books onastronomy for the popular market, which have been translated into multiple languages. During 1996, he took part in the Antarctic Search for Meteorites,ANSMET, where he discovered a number of meteorites on the ice fields of Antarctica. An asteroid was named in his honour by the International Astronomical Union,IAU in 2000 -4597 Consolmagno.
He believes in the need forscience andreligion to work alongside one another rather than as competing ideologies. In 2006, he said, "Religion needs science to keep it away from superstition and keep it close to reality, to protect it fromcreationism, which at the end of the day is a kind ofpaganism – it's turningGod into anature god."[4] Consolmagno was the Chair of theDivision for Planetary Sciences of theAmerican Astronomical Society,[5] serving from October 2006 to October 2007.Consolmagno is a popular speaker as well as a writer of popular science. He has been a guest of honor at several science fiction conventions, includingDucKon in 2000,ConFusion in his native state of Michigan in 2002,Boskone in 2007,ConClave in 2009, MuseCon in 2015, andMinicon andNASFiC in 2017. He was an invited participant inScifoo in 2008 as well. He taught at Fordham University in New York City for the fall term of 2008. Consolmagno gave the keynote speech at the 2013 Stellafane amateur telescope making convention on Aug 10. He appeared onThe Colbert Report in December 2009 to promote his book,The Heavens Proclaim.[6] In May 2014, Consolmagno received an honorary doctorate (Doctor of Humane Letters,Honoris Causa) fromGeorgetown University and spoke at theGeorgetown College commencement ceremony.[7][8] In 2010, he was a guest onOn Being withKrista Tippett, alongside his friend and colleague FatherGeorge Coyne, S.J. In the interview, Consolmagno and Coyne discussed their distinct and intimate relationships with science and faith. The show aired for a second time in 2011, and for a third time in September 2015.[9]
On July 2, 2014, he was awarded theCarl Sagan Medal for outstanding communication by an active planetary scientist to the general public by theDivision for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society.[10]
Known as "The Pope's Astronomer," he was named byPope Francis to be the Director of theVatican Observatory in September 2015.[11][12]
In 2022, Consolmagno was awarded theSt. Albert Award by the Society of Catholic Scientists.[13]
Consolmagno additionally has made several appearances onEWTN's original programming, most notably featuring prominently in the August 2021EWTN Vaticano special episode "Inside the Vatican Observatory - Where Science Meets Faith."[14]
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| Catholic Church titles | ||
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| Preceded by | Director of the Vatican Observatory 2015 - | Succeeded by incumbent |
