Vatican Tied Mount Graham Observatory Launches LUCIFER Telescope

New instrument for the world’s largest optical telescope, the Large Binocular Telescope on Mount Graham, allows astronomers to observe the faintest and most distant objects in the universe

Tucson, Ariz.—- Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) partners in the U.S, Germany and Italy announced April 21 that the first of two new innovative near-infrared cameras/spectrographs for the LBT is now available to astronomers for scientific observations at the telescope on Mount Graham in southeastern Arizona.

After more than a decade of design, manufacturing and testing, the new instrument – dubbed LUCIFER 1 – provides a powerful tool to gain spectacular insights into the universe – from the Milky Way to extremely distant galaxies. LUCIFER, built by a consortium of German institutes, will be followed by an identical twin instrument that will be delivered to the telescope in early 2011.

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http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/22407

 

i love the irony of this.

 

Am I missing something? What does the Vatican have to do with this telescope?

 

http://vaticanobservatory.org/

In its historical roots and traditions the Vatican Observatory is one of the oldest astronomical institutes in the world. For the first foreshadowing of the Observatory can be traced to the constitution by Pope Gregory XIII of a committee to study the scientific data and implications involved in the reform of the calendar which occurred in 1582. The committee included Father Christoph Clavius, a Jesuit mathematician from the Roman College, who expounded and explained the reform. From that time and with some degree of continuity the Papacy has manifested an interest in and support for astronomical research. In fact, three early observatories were founded by the Papacy: the Observatory of the Roman College (1774-1878) (illustrated), the Observatory of the Capitol (1827-1870), and the Specula Vaticana (1789-1821) in the Tower of the Winds within the Vatican. These early traditions of the Observatory reached their climax in the mid-nineteenth century with the researches at the Roman College of the famous Jesuit, Father Angelo Secchi, the first to classify stars according to their spectra. With these rich traditions as a basis and in order to counteract the longstanding accusations of a hostility of the Church towards science, Pope Leo XIII in 1891 formally refounded the Specola Vaticana (Vatican Observatory) and located it on a hillside behind the dome of St. Peter's Basilica

Several religious orders contributed personnel and directors to the Observatory. These included Barnabites, Oratorians, Augustinians, and Jesuits.

For a little more than four decades astronomical research, which included a prominent international program to map the whole sky, was carried out in the shadow of St. Peter's, but it eventually became obvious that the urban growth of the Eternal City was brightening the sky to such an extent that the fainter stars could no longer be studied.
Thus it was that Pope Pius XI provided a new location for the Observatory at the Papal Summer Residence at Castel Gandolfo [ illustrated ] in the Alban Hills some 25 kilometers southeast of Rome.

 

What irony?

Lucifer means light, it was only Satan's name before he left Heaven.

 

lucifer means light ?!

 

^ Well it means keeper of the light or something like that, but yeah, lucem is light.

 

the same light the lol jesus guy exists for .. puff..where is mt smilie list?? /

 

I think it literally translates to "light bearer"

 

Lucifer the Light Bearer
The name 'Lucifer' means light-bearer, and is not used in the New Testament, where the "bearer of light" is Christ. He was once one of the Seraphim (sometimes called the fiery, flying serpents).


edit: accidentally cut off my post...this is what i was refering to and assumed i had included the link

http://www.casttv.com/video/jnp84y1/msnbc-the-vatican-seeks-signs-of-alien-life-video

 

light bearer versus bearer of light

 

lucem and lucifer are same ?

 

Too bad that powerful ol' telescope could not be turned inward!

The science end is fascinating though and a major step forward. The research and data they should be able to collect with this may just change how we view what is "out there".

Interesting article.

 

Wounder if they are looking for the fire in the sky?

Revelations perhaps.