LOCATION: Prescott Public Library
SPEAKER: Father Christopher Corbally, S.J., PhD
Secretary, Vatican Observatory, Tucson, Arizona
COMMENTS: Father Corbally was greeted by a full room of interested folks for this presentation. Drawing on his charm, wit, and vast knowledge he held the the audience’s attention as he explained how years of experience using smaller scopes and spectroscopy to explored the stars of the Universe have led the way to our current understanding. Using an extremely well prepared PowerPoint presentation he demonstrated that it is not always the biggest telescopes that count in space science discoveries. Often it is imagination, innovative technology, prime location, and persistence, coupled with compact telescopes. His experiences and research included results from programs at the Vatican, Toronto, and Arizona – and he encouraged amateurs to follow his lead with their smaller scopes in their backyards. His presentation touched on stellar physics, supernovae, black holes, exoplanets, and brown dwarfs.