“Discarded Worlds: Astronomical ideas that were almost correct…” by Brother Guy Consolmagno, S.J., President Vatican Observatory Foundation.

Astronomy is more than just observing; it's making sense of those observations. A good theorist needs to blend a knowledge of what’s been observed, with a good imagination... and no fear of being wrong. Aristotle, the medieval bishops Oresme and Cusa, the 19th century astronomers Schiaparelli and Pickering, all rose to the challenge; and they were all almost correct. Which is to say, they were wrong... sometimes hilariously, sometimes heartbreakingly so. What lessons can 21st century astronomers take from these discarded images of the universe?

Brother Guy Consolmagno SJ, is the Director of the Vatican Observatory. A native of Detroit, Michigan, he studied planetary sciences at MIT and the University of Arizona, studying meteorites and asteroids. Along with more than 250 scientific publications, he is the author of several popular astronomy books, notably Turn Left at Orion (with Dan Davis), and most recently When Science Goes Wrong (with Chris Graney).

The meeting will also be available on Zoom. Seating is available and please contact the club if you wish to obtain a link to the Zoom meeting. Send an email to: popularastronomyclub@gmail.com.