The Vatican Advanced Telescope (VATT), located on Mount Graham in Arizona (United States), known for its excellent optics and privileged location, has recently been equipped with an advanced automated control system called “Don”.
This was announced this July 4 by the Press Office of the Holy See through a statement, in which it was stated that this “robotization” has been possible thanks to a generous donation and that the project “opens new opportunities for the community.” international scientific.
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It should be noted that the name “Don” is due to Donald M. Alstadt, former president and CEO of the Lord Corporation.
This new system, which has been developed by the engineering company ProjectSoft, works “with extraordinary aiming precision, up to 3 seconds of arc, approximately the size of a marble placed in a large sports stadium.”
In addition, the “Don” system not only facilitates the day-to-day operations of the telescope, but will also allow astronomers to monitor the VATT in Arizona from the Vatican Observatory in Castel Gandolfo, Italy. Likewise, it will operate with complete autonomy without the need for direct human supervision.
All this has been possible thanks to a grant from the Thomas Lord Charitable Foundation and a donation from Judith Alstadt, wife of Donald M. Alstadt.
This new system propels the Vatican Observatory towards a bright future in astronomical research.
Almudena Martínez-Bordiú
I am a graduate in Journalism and Advertising from the CEU San Pablo University in Madrid. Specialized in religious information in Spain since 2015. I have been a senior correspondent for ACI Prensa and EWTN Noticias in the Vatican for two years and I am currently a European correspondent based in Spain.