Brother Astronomer

Ever since Galileo was forced to recant his proofs of a sun-centered solar system, the Roman Catholic Church has been considered hostile toward science. Not quite true, argues Jesuit Brother Guy Consolmagno in his moving and intellectually playful memoir of a life lived in the active interplay of science and religion.

Blending memoir, science, history, and theology, Consolmagno takes us on a grand adventure. We revisit the infamous "Galileo affair" and see that it didn't unfold in quite the way we thought. We get a rare glimpse into the world of working scientists and see how scientific discoveries are proposed and advanced. We learn the inside story of the "Mars meteorite": how can we be sure it's really from Mars, and why can't scientists agree on whether or not it contains evidence of life?

Brother Astronomer memorably sets forth one scientist's conviction that the universe may be worth study only if it is the work of a Creator God.

ISBN	007135428X	Pages	256
ISBN13	9780071354288 (What's this?)	Volumes	1
Publisher	McGraw-Hill Education - Europe	Weight (grammes)	530
Imprint	McGraw-Hill Inc.,US	Published in	New York
Format	Hardback	Series title	New-trade science series
Publication date	01 Mar 2000	Height (mm)	229
Library of Congress	QB36.C76 A	Width (mm)	160
DEWEY	522.10945634	Spine width (mm)	28
DEWEY edition	DC21	Academic level	Undergraduate, Postgraduate, Professional / Scholarly

	Introduction: A Day in the Life	1
Pt. 1	Upon These Rocks
	Aliens at the Vatican	13
	The Case of the Fiery Fingers	29
	The Vindication of Mars	47
Pt. 2	The Confession of a Vatican Scientist
	Precursors of Evil	61
	The Rift of Popular Culture	81
	Finding God in Creation	99
Pt. 3	Once in a Lifetime
	Holes in the Sand	115
	Call and Response	127
	Justice in the Oceans of Europa	137
	Would You Baptize an Extraterrestrial?	149
Pt. 4	Wide Wild Whiteness
	Well Met at Ansmet	157
	Erebus and Terror	165
	Soul on Ice	173
	The Easter Egg Hunt	181
	Walking in Heaven	191
	We've Got Company	201
	Acquainted with All My Ways	207
	Hunting the White Elephant	211
	Northward Ho! The Wagons	215
	Afterword: About This Book	225

Despite its persecution of Galileo, the Catholic Church has supported scientific inquiry more often than not, says American-born Jesuit and Vatican astronomer Consolmagno in this collection of essays on planetary lore, theological mastications, and the pleasures of a well-spent youth. For this planetary research scientist, lecturer, and curator of the Vatican's collection of meteorites, life couldn't be better. In a charming day-in-my-life essay set in the tranquil hills around Castel Gandolfo (the Pope's summer residence and home of the Vatican Observatory). Consolmagno portrays himself working among a dozen scientists for whom Church dogms and the scientific method are the means employed "to find God in all things." Refreshingly sensible apologia, supported by relevant quotations from theologians, astronomers, and historical sources, depict the 21st-century Church as a haven for intellectual thought. Charming moments of humor, skepticism and die-hard faith in this best of all possible worlds.

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Adventures of a Vatican Scientist