Father George Coyne was the special guest for this Space Show program. WE began the interview by finding out astronomy and the Catholic church, why their interest, its origins, and their observatory in Italy as well as in Tucson. I personally found the history and origins to be fascinating, going back to the need to make adjustments in the calendar. You will certainly want to hear this discussion. We then shifted focus and talked about telescopes, not just in Tucson, but worldwide. As a result of a listener question, Father Coyne explained adaptive optics and compared a state of the art adaptive optics telescope with the Hubble. The best here on Earth is about 98% efficient! He also talked about the national observatory system and the new rise in private funding for observatory projects, including the one being developed on Mt. Graham near Tucson. The discussion then shifted again to science and math teaching in the United States and intelligent design. Father Coyne's explanation of why intelligent design should not be taught in the schools or confused with science is the best I've heard. Listen to it! From this discussion, we addressed the subject of contradictions with the science and religious or spiritual world, as well as our spiritual connection to outer space. Here again, Father Coyne shined like a bright light in explaining how science and religion support one another and in explaining the magnificent draw that many of us have to space enabling us to understand just how powerful our connection and place in the cosmos really is. You will not want to miss this show. You can send follow up email comments and questions to Father Coyne through me at drspace@thespaceshow.com. I will immediately forward your notes to him.
Guest
The Space Show
