The Vatican Observatory is pleased to report that four asteroids have been named for important figures in the history of the Observatory, including Pope Leo XIII, who re-founded the Observatory in 1891.

The Vatican Observatory is making its main telescope available to students at Jesuit universities

Recently, the Observatory successfully completed the robotization and automation of its Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope (VATT), located on Mt. Graham in Arizona (USA). This was accomplished thanks to the generosity of the Thomas Lord Charitable Trust. It means, among other things, that astronomers can use the telescope remotely, without having to be up on the mountain. Vatican Observatory (VO) astronomers are now utilizing its exciting capabilities.

Two masterpieces in comparison

“These are works by the great Cretan master El Greco, an unconventional, irregular and pioneering artist who, from his native Candia—where he trained as an icon painter within the Byzantine tradition—first moved to Venice, where he absorbed the light and color of the painting of Titian and Tintoretto, and then to Rome, where he was called to confront the great masters Raphael and Michelangelo, whom he nevertheless struggled to appreciate.”

 “El Greco in the Mirror: Two Paintings Compared”

“El Greco in the Mirror: Two Paintings Compared” is the title of the exhibition that will be inaugurated on Saturday, March 14, at 4:00 PM, at the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo.