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First Centenary of the Foundation of the Vatican Observatory 
Scott 885-887 (1991) </center>
 
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 80th Anniversary of the Vatican Observatory at Castel Gandolfo 
Scott 1606-1607 (2015)</center>
 
Did you know that the Vatican Observatory has a facility outside of Tucson, Arizona? It’s true! Founded in 1993, the facility celebrated its thirtieth anniversary in September of 2023. Known as the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope (VATT), it is located at Mount Graham, in the deserts of southern Arizona.
 
The Vatican Observatory dates back more than 400 years, when it was established in 1582, making it one of the oldest active astronomical observatories in the world. Pope Leo XIII re-founded the observatory in 1891 with the intention of reinforcing the Catholic Church’s support of science. The Observatory was first located near Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome and was later moved to the extraterritorial space at Castel Gandolfo. The move was necessitated by the fact that light pollution from the city of Rome was interfering with the operation of the telescope. As more light pollution began to impact operations at Castel Gandolfo, the need for a new facility was addressed by the decision to establish a new center in Arizona, where the dark skies of the desert provided a better environment for study of the heavens.
 
The VATT is funded by private donations. The complex consists of the Alice P. Lennon Telescope and the Thomas J. Bannan Astrophysics Facility. However, the observatory’s headquarters remain at Castel Gandolfo. The VATT’s first recorded observations occurred on September 18, 1993.
 
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Left: Father Gregor Mendel (Scott 729, 1983) 
Right: Father Angel Secchi (Scott 1691, 2018)</center>
 
It should be noted that the Church has a long history of supporting scientific research at a very high level. Two priest-scientists, Gregor Mendel (in the field of genetics) and Angelo Secchi (in astronomy and earth sciences), made significant scientific contributions and have been honored on Vatican City stamps. Another is Father Georges Lemaître, the originator of the ‘Big Bang’ theory. One of the scientists at the Vatican Observatory, Chris Graney, noted that:
<blockquote>"[T]he priests working at the VATT are following in the footsteps of other Catholic scientists who have contributed to our knowledge about the universe."</blockquote>
A report on the 2023 anniversary gala can be accessed by clicking on Jonah McKeown's National Catholic Register article in the references below.
 
REFERENCES: 
<li>Jonah McKeown, National Catholic Register, September 29, 2023, <a href='https://www.ncregister.com/cna/celebrations-planned-for-30th-anniversary-of-vatican-observatory-s-arizona-telescope'>Celebrations Planned for 30th Anniversary of Vatican Observatory’s Arizona Telescope</a> 
<li>UFN, November 19, 2015, <a href='http://vaticanstamps.org/UFN/images/2015-2-16-1.jpg'>80th Anniversary of the Vatican Observatory in Castel Gandolfo</a> 
<li>UFN, October 1, 1991, <a href='http://vaticanstamps.org/UFN/images/1991-2-08-1.jpg'>First Centenary of the Foundation of the Vatican Observatory</a> 
<li>Vatican Philatelic Society website, www.vaticanstamps.org, Stamp Database Search

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