“Enchanted by Wonder” is the title of the new exhibition at the Vatican Observatory with cosmic images from the Hubble and James Webb space telescopes.
The exhibition, organized within the framework of the Jubilee by the Specola Vaticana in collaboration with Johns Hopkins University and the Space Telescope Science Institute, will take place in the “Visitor Center” of Castel Gandolfo, where the observatory is located.
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The incredible images, presented in large format, will be accompanied by stories from leading researchers in the field of space sciences, revealing how observations from these telescopes have advanced scientific research and expanded human understanding of the universe.
The opening to the public is scheduled for November 3 and reservations can be made through the official website of the Vatican Museums.
According to the organizers, the exhibition will transport visitors to the “most remote depths of space” and will offer “a close encounter with the universe.”
Pope Leo
Both telescopes – recalls the Vatican Observatory – have offered new perspectives on a wide variety of celestial phenomena, shed light on our cosmic origins and have revealed new images of the early universe.
In total they have made almost two million observations of more than 100 million astronomical objects, fueling thousands of scientific publications, stimulating the human imagination and opening new horizons beyond the current limits of our knowledge.
Brother Guy Consolmagno, meteorite expert and Director Emeritus of the Vatican Observatory, assured that these “spectacular images make you feel immersed in the nebulae and galaxies themselves.”
“Showing their beauty, and the wonderful scientific discoveries associated with them, is a way of giving glory to their Creator,” he added.
He further stated that “they transform particles of dust and gas into cathedrals of wonder and knowledge, revealing the history of the unfolding cosmos and our place in it. They are testament to human ingenuity and curiosity, capable of rekindling in all of us a sense of wonder.”
Almudena Martínez-Bordiú
Graduated in Journalism and Advertising from the CEU San Pablo University in Madrid. Specialized in religious information in Spain since 2015. She has been a senior correspondent for ACI Prensa and EWTN Noticias in the Vatican for two years and is currently a European correspondent based in Spain.