Il Cantico delle Creature parla del sole, ma anche della luna e delle stelle, intendendo con ciò abbracciare il cosmo intero. Il sole viene citato come prima delle creature, si direbbe "una premessa" di ogni vita possibile sulla Terra, pur essendo fuori dalla Terra. Consolmagno affronta con grande ispirazione e continui riferimenti alla propria esperienza personale le realtà più immense che possano immaginarsi con la lente dello scienziato credente che riesce a vedere l'infinitamente grande nell'infinitamente piccolo, e viceversa.

Oggi la scienza sta raggiungendo traguardi impensabili anche solo qualche decennio fa. Allo stesso tempo le persone continuano ad avvertire, in varie forme, un grande bisogno di spiritualità. Ma fede e scienza - viene dunque spontaneo domandarci ora più che mai - sono davvero inconciliabili? I gesuiti Consolmagno e Mueller sono tra le voci più autorevoli per rispondere a questo secolare interrogativo. Entrambi uomini di fede e, insieme, scienziati, conducono le attività di ricerca della Specola Vaticana, l'osservatorio astronomico della Chiesa cattolica, con sedi a Castel Gandolfo e a Tucson, in Arizona. In questo libro affrontano alcune fra le domande che più spesso vengono inviate alla loro casella di posta elettronica: come si può conciliare il Big Bang con Dio Creatore dell'universo? La stella di Betlemme fu un fenomeno astronomico reale? Che cosa accadde davvero tra Galileo e la Chiesa? L'universo finirà di esistere? E battezzereste un extraterrestre? Sono spunti intriganti che stimolano riflessioni ancora più delicate: uno scienziato può essere anche credente? La Chiesa cattolica è davvero contraria alla scienza? Possiamo cercare nella scienza certezze che la religione non ci offre (e viceversa)? Fisica e Bellezza hanno qualcosa in comune? E via dicendo. In sei giornate di dialoghi, ambientati in luoghi sorprendenti - dall'Art Institute di Chicago all'Antartide - e scritti con un ancor più sorprendente senso dell'umorismo, Consolmagno e Mueller esplorano con levità questioni profonde e rilevanti per ciascuno di noi, facendoci sorridere e accompagnandoci ad abbracciare

Witty and thoughtprovoking, two Vatican astronomers shed provocative light on some of the strange places where religion and science meet.

“Imagine if a Martian showed up, all big ears and big nose like a child’s drawing, and he asked to be baptized. How would you react?”
– Pope Francis, May, 2014

Pope Francis posed that question – without insisting on an answer! – to provoke deeper reflection about inclusiveness and diversity in the Church. But it's not the first time that question has been asked.

Brother Guy Consolmagno and Father Paul Mueller hear questions like that all the time. They’re scientists at the Vatican Observatory, the official astronomical research institute of the Catholic Church. In Would You Baptize an Extraterrestrial? they explore a variety of questions at the crossroads of faith and reason: How do you reconcile the The Big Bang with Genesis? Was the Star of Bethlehem just a pious religious story or an actual description of astronomical events? What really went down between Galileo and the Catholic Church – and why do the effects of that confrontation still reverberate to this day? Will the Universe come to an end? And… could you really baptize an extraterrestrial?

With disarming humor, Brother Guy and Father Paul explore these questions and more over the course of six days of dialogue. Would You Baptize an Extraterrestrial will make you laugh, make you think, and make you reflect more deeply on science, faith, and the nature of the universe.

"With over 100,000 copies sold since first publication, this is one of the most popular astronomy books of all time. It is a unique guidebook to the night sky, providing all the information you need to observe a whole host of celestial objects. With a new spiral binding, this edition is even easier to use outdoors at the telescope and is the ideal beginner's book. Keeping its distinct one-object-per-spread format, this edition is also designed for Dobsonian telescopes, as well as for smaller reflectors and refractors, and covers Southern hemisphere objects in more detail. Large-format eyepiece views, positioned side-by-side, show objects exactly as they are seen through a telescope, and with improved directions, updated tables of astronomical informationand an expanded night-by-night Moon section, it has never been easier to explore the night sky on your own"--

A superb guidebook described in Bookwatch as 'the home astronomer's "bible"', Turn Left at Orion provides all the information beginning amateur astronomers need to observe the Moon, the planets and a whole host of celestial objects. Large format diagrams show these objects exactly as they appear in a small telescope and for each object there is information on the current state of our astronomical knowledge. Revised and updated, this new edition contains a chapter with ten new spreads describing spectacular deep sky objects visible from the southern hemisphere, and tips on observing the upcoming transits of Venus. It also discusses Dobsonian telescopes, with hints on using personal computers and the Internet as aids for planning an observing session. Also new to this edition are redrawn "Guidepost" figures at the beginning of each season chapter that allow readers to visualize a three-dimensional view of the sky's dome; redesigned seasonal object layouts that provide more space for the naked-eye charts; a new spread on double stars near Boötes has been added to Spring, replacing the "Shrinking Double" spread; and a unique "When and Where to Look" table has been added to the last page, among other new features. Unlike many guides to the night sky, this book is specifically written for observers using small telescopes. Clear and easy to use, this fascinating book will appeal to skywatchers of all ages and backgrounds. No previous knowledge of astronomy is needed.