Summer camp begins at the Vatican Observatory

The summer school of the Vatican Observatory, also known as spectulatehas already begun officially, welcoming 24 young astronomers from all over the world.

The students, representatives from 22 different countries, were received on the night of June 1 with a welcome dinner and began classes the next morning at the headquarters of the Vatican Observatory in Castel Gandolfo.

During the month of June, students will attend classes taught by some of the top world experts in astronomy, will work on projects related to their own research and participate in excursions through Italy.

The theme of the summer school of this year – the nineteenth since its first edition in 1986 – and “exploring the universe with the James Webb space telescope: the first three years.”

As the Vatican Observatory recalled in a statement, the space telescope James Webb (JWST) was released on Christmas Day of 2021. Since he began transmitting data, in July of the following year, “he has revolutionized the understanding of the cosmos.”

Specifically, during the school this summer a complete panoramic view of the main discoveries of the Jwst In its first three years divided into four fundamental areas: primary light and reion, formation and evolution of galaxies, birth of stars and protoplanetary systems and planetary systems and origin of life.

The summer school is chaired by Dr. Eiichi Egami (University of Arizona), a leading member of the JWST/NIRCAM team and among teachers is Guy Consolmagno, SJ and director of the Vatican Observatory.

In his inaugural speech, Dr. Egami (who was a student of the school in 1990) stressed that a revolutionary project such as JWST occurs only a few times in a century.

“We are living a very special moment for astronomy,” he said. He also stressed that the objective of the school is not only to update students about the latest advances in astronomy, but “build a community and promote collaboration between future generations of astronomers.”

The summer school was born in 1986 as part of the Vatican Observatory commitment with astronomical research and education, especially in the creation of professional opportunities for young scientists.

Since then, more than 400 students have completed the program and have contributed significantly to their respective research fields. Participation is free, thanks to the support of generous benefactors through the foundation of the Vatican Observatory.

Students come from countries such as Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China – Colombia, Egypt, India, Italy, Germany, Greece, Lithuania, Morocco, Poland, Peru, New Zealand, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, the United States and Uruguay.