Pope Leo XIV marks 56th anniversary of moon landing with observatory visit, call to Buzz Aldrin
After praying the Sunday Angelus at his summer retreat in Castel Gandolfo, Leo headed to the astronomical observatory located in the Pontifical Villas, where he took a close look at the telescopes that have supported celestial exploration from a faith-based perspective for decades.
The pontiff was accompanied by astronomers and students participating in the traditional summer school organized by the observatory.
This was Pope Leo's first visit to the observatory, founded in 1891 by Leo XIII. The first vision of it, however, can be traced back to the establishment by Pope Gregory XIII of a commission aimed at studying the scientific data and implications of the calendar reform that took place in 1582.
The Vatican Observatory has generated top-notch research from its scientist-clerics, drawing academics to its meteorite collection, which includes bits of Mars and is considered among the world's best.
Later Sunday, the pope called astronaut Buzz Aldrin, who shared with Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins the historic 1969 moonwalk.
'This evening, 56 years after the Apollo 11 moon landing, I spoke with the astronaut Buzz Aldrin,' Pope Leo wrote on his X account. 'Together we shared the memory of a historic feat, a testimony to human ingenuity, and we reflected on the mystery and greatness of Creation.'
There are a few precedents of papal calls to "space.'
In 2011, Pope Benedict XVI rang the space station and asked about the future of the planet and the environmental risks it faced.
Before Benedict, Pope Paul VI sent a radio message to astronauts Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins after their moonwalk, calling them 'conquerors of the Moon.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
CBS host frets Trump admin plans for moon base could usher in new 'age of colonialism' in space
CBS News host Vladimir Duthiers questioned the Trump administration's plan to establish a base on the moon and drew parallels to Earth's history of colonialism. On "CBS Mornings Plus" on Wednesday, Duthiers and co-host Adriana Diaz discussed the White House calling for more human space exploration and administration plans to build a nuclear reactor on the moon to precede an eventual U.S. lunar base with astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. Diaz asked if it was "inevitable that we're going to have to go to the moon and try to colonize the Moon?" Tyson said that the United States is being "reactive" in a race to the moon with China, and stated, to the laughter of the panel, that he does not want to "live on the moon." But Duthiers questioned if colonizing the moon was a good idea. "We know how the age of colonialism worked on this planet," the host said. "Should we be trying to colonize and saying that there's a keep-out zone that no other countries can participate in having?" Tyson replied by pointing out that it would be difficult to colonize an area that does not have people. "Well, the — the real problem with the colonization history in Western civilization is that there were people already there," Tyson said. Duthiers and Diaz agreed, and Tyson added that "there are no moon beings that were displaced as far as we know." Tyson later criticized administration plans to decrease funding to NASA. "What's not on brand is to cut science programs, not only in NASA, but across the board, and then say, we want to excel in this one spot," Tyson said. "Well, in the 1960s, science was a major investment profile of the United States," he continued. "And by the way, it's not on brand even for Republicans, because Republican administrations since the Second World War have had a higher annual increase, average annual increase, in the science budget than even the Democrats." "So Trump's decision to cut science is not on brand for even being a Republican," Tyson added.
San Francisco Chronicle
2 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
What to know about mRNA vaccines
WASHINGTON (AP) — So-called mRNA vaccines saved millions of lives during the COVID-19 pandemic — and now scientists are using that Nobel Prize-winning technology to try to develop vaccines and treatments against a long list of diseases including cancer and cystic fibrosis. But this week, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime vaccine critic, canceled $500 million in government-funded research projects to create new mRNA vaccines against respiratory illnesses that might trigger another health emergency. That dismays infectious disease experts who note that mRNA allows faster production of shots than older vaccine-production methods, buying precious time if another pandemic were to emerge. Using older technology to target a pandemic flu strain would take 18 months to 'make enough vaccine to vaccinate only about one-fourth of the world," said Michael Osterholm of the University of Minnesota, an expert on pandemic preparation. But using mRNA technology 'could change that dramatically, such that by the end of the first year, we could vaccinate the world.' How mRNA technology works Traditionally, making vaccines required growing viruses or pieces of viruses called proteins — often in giant vats of cells or, like most flu shots, in chicken eggs — and then purifying them. Injecting a small dose as a vaccine trains the body how to recognize when a real infection hits so it's ready to fight back. But that technology takes a long time. Using mRNA is a faster process. The 'm' stands for messenger, meaning mRNA carries instructions for our bodies to make proteins. Scientists figured out how to harness that natural process by making mRNA in a lab. They take a snippet of that genetic code that carries instructions for making the protein they want the vaccine to target. Injecting that snippet instructs the body to become its own mini-vaccine factory, making enough copies of the protein for the immune system to recognize and react. The COVID-19 vaccines aren't perfect Years of research show protection from COVID-19 vaccines — both the types made with mRNA and a type made with traditional technology — does wane over time. The vaccinations provide the strongest protection against severe infection and death, even if people still become infected. But that's a common feature with both the coronavirus and flu because both viruses continually mutate. That's the reason we're told to get a flu vaccine every year — using vaccines made with traditional methods, not mRNA. Today's COVID-19 vaccines made with mRNA by Pfizer and Moderna can be updated more quickly each year than traditional types, an advantage that now has multiple companies developing other vaccines using the technology. Osterholm counts about 15 infectious disease vaccines that could benefit from mRNA technology, but that's not the only potential. Many disease therapies take aim at proteins, making mRNA a potential technique for developing new treatments. Researchers already are testing an mRNA-based therapeutic vaccine for pancreatic cancer. Genetic diseases are another target, such as an experimental inhaled therapy for cystic fibrosis. ___ ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
New York Post
4 hours ago
- New York Post
Czech zoo welcomes 4 rare Barbary lion cubs whose population is extinct in the wild
Four Barbary lion cubs were born recently in a Czech zoo, a vital contribution for a small surviving population of the rare lion that is extinct in the wild. The three females and one male were seen playing in their outdoor enclosure at Dvůr Králové Safari Park on Wednesday, enjoying themselves under the watchful eyes of their parents, Khalila and Bart. That will change soon. As part of an international endangered species program that coordinates efforts for their survival in captivity, the cubs will be sent to other participating parks, including the Beersheba zoo in Israel. 5 The three females and one male were seen playing in their outdoor enclosure at Dvůr Králové Safari Park on Wednesday. AP Chances are that might not be the end of the story for the animal. Dvůr Králové Deputy Director Jaroslav Hyjánek said that while preliminary steps have been taken for a possible reintroduction of the Barbary lion into its natural habitat, it's still a 'far distant future.' The majestic member of the Northern lion subspecies, the Barbary lion once roamed freely its native northern Africa, including the Atlas Mountains. A symbol of strength, they were almost completely wiped out due to human activities. Many were killed by gladiators in Roman times, while overhunting and a loss of habitat contributed to their extinction later. The last known photo of a wild lion was taken in 1925, while the last individual was killed in 1942. It's believed the last small populations went extinct in the wild in the middle of the 1960s. 5 The cubs will be sent to other participating parks, including the Beersheba zoo in Israel. AP 5 The majestic member of the Northern lion subspecies, the Barbary lion once roamed freely its native northern Africa. AP Fewer than 200 Barbary lions are currently estimated to live in captivity Hyjánek said that after initial talks with Moroccan authorities, who have not rejected the idea of their reintroduction, a conference of experts has been planned to take place in Morocco late this year or early 2026 to decide whether it would make sense to go ahead with such a plan in one of the national parks in the Atlas Mountains. Any reintroduction would face numerous bureaucratic and other obstacles. Since the lion has not been present in the environment for such a long time, the plans would have to ensure their protection, a sufficient prey population and cooperation and approval from local communities. 5 Fewer than 200 Barbary lions are currently estimated to live in captivity. AP 5 It's believed the last small populations went extinct in the wild in the middle of the 1960s. AP Hyjánek said such a move is still worth trying if it turns out to be sustainable. 'It's important to have such a vision for any animal, ' he said. 'Without it, the existence of zoos wouldn't make sense.'
