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Br. Robert Macke SJ

@brbobmackesj.bsky.social
1.5K followers 51 following 387 posts

Planetary Scientist/Maker/Meteorite Curator at Vatican Observatory DISCLAIMER: Opinions expressed here are my own and do not necessarily represent the Vatican Observatory, the Jesuits, the Vatican, or the Catholic Church.

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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
In honor of the successful launch of the Nancy Grace Roman space telescope, I put together a list (non-exhaustive) of people who signed the Vatican Observatory guestbook and also have telescopes or observatories named after them.
Telescopes named after People who Visited the Vatican Observatory
George Ellery Hale - Hale Telescope at Palomar Observatory
Héber Doust Curtis - Curtis-Schmidt Telescope at Cerro-Tololo
Henrietta Hill Swope - Henrietta Swope Telescope, Cerro Las Campas
Fred L Whipple - Fred L Whipple Observatory
Gerard P. Kuiper - Kuiper Telescope and Gerard P. Kuiper Airborne Observatory
Walter Baade - Baade Telescope, Las Campanas Observatory
Otto Struve - Otto Struve Telescope, McDonald Observatory
Lyman Spitzer Jr. - Spitzer Space Telescope
Vera C. Rubin - NSF DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory
Nancy Grace Roman - Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope
Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar - Chandra X-ray Observatory
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
I spend a lot of time perusing the guestbook. It is a treasure trove of signatures from notable astronomers and other figures.
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Nancy Grace Roman space telescope is launched. Yay! In 1975 the astronomer herself signed the Vatican Observatory guest book.
Line from the Vatican Observatory guestbook reading 12-6-75 Nancy Grace Roman, Washington DC USA, NASA
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
A little something I found in the Vatican Observatory guestbook:
Signature dated 12 June 1975 of Nancy Grace Roman, Washington DC USA, NASA
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Yes, this. And reading speed is neither an indicator of intelligence nor comprehension, so no need to race if it keeps you from immersing yourself in the story.
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Steam tray with folding irised sides
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
I need to debug my computer.
Insects on a computer screen
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
The Flat Mars conspiracy people will love it 😊
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
“Verify your age” My first computer had no hard drive and it’s active RAM had been expanded to a whopping 48kb
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Reposted by Br. Robert Macke SJ
Ada Palmer @adapalmer.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
#ShareGoodNewsToo @fixthenews.com.web.brid.gy
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
What an incredible smell you’ve discovered
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
I can’t have a picture of thesports without balancing it with something nerdy 🙂
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
That’s a Cliff Stoll product
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
And in case you’re wondering why it isn’t on the 4th of July, I have asked before. It’s because it is a holiday and none of the embassy staff are working.
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
Pretty cool swag from the Independence Day celebration at the US embassy to the Holy See. 🇻🇦 🇺🇸
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Reading a prehumous obit should inspire you to endow a prize for the betterment of humanity.
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
This spells trouble with a capital T which rhymes with P which stands for.. pinball. Someone sell them kids some band instruments.
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
Advertise your bluesky account with a Simpsons meme
Cartoon of Professor Frink of the Simpsons with random laboratory equipment behind him.
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
name a tv show you're positive nobody remembers [or knows about] but you Science Fiction Theater was an *actual* show that *actually* aired in the 1950s. (No I wasn't alive for the original airtime but I've seen it on DVD). Hosted by Truman Bradley. George McFly fictionally missed an episode.
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
Which one is going to play you in the Scalzi biopic? :)
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
Tbh I did have to share the building with JPII once, back in ‘04. Entering and leaving were interesting since I had to go through the Swiss Guard barracks. And don’t get me started on the crowds chanting “JP 2 we love you” and stuff in other languages.
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
I don't understand the question. Billions of people don't have the Pope living in the same building. Seems rather normal to me. It also means that life is a lot simpler, since I don't have to bother about the Swiss Guard and other stuff that comes with having a VIP roommate.
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
by the way, here's the English version: www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news...
vaticannews.va
Pope Leo XIV visits the Vatican Observatory - Vatican News
On Tuesday, May 19, Pope Leo XIV visits the Vatican Observatory in Castel Gandolfo and greets the religious, lay and scientific staff present.
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
My boss’s boss came for a visit www.vaticannews.va/it/papa/news...
vaticannews.va
Papa Leone in visita alla Specola Vaticana - Vatican News
Seconda volta per il Pontefice all’Osservatorio astronomico di Castel Gandolfo. Ieri 19 maggio la visita alla struttura con un breve momento di ...
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
I initially misread that as a western teenager, and the grumpy old man in me was thinking “get off my lawn!” 😊
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
STEM Diet
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news...
vaticannews.va
Pope to Vatican Observatory: Church embraces science to find God in Creation - Vatican News
As he meets with the Vatican Observatory Foundation, Pope Leo XIV upholds the Catholic Church’s desire to seek God in His Creation through rigorous, ...
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
Um, which left? My left or your left? 😁
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
Best Star Wars movie? - Wrong answers only. I'll start:
Screenshot from SpaceBalls: The Movie, depicting Rick Moranis as Dark Helmet preparing to wield the Schwartz.
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
Happy Star Wars Day to those who celebrate. Live Long and Prosper. 🖖 😜
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Vatican Observatory has asteroid named after Pope Leo XIII - Vatican News www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-c...
vaticannews.va
Vatican Observatory has asteroid named after Pope Leo XIII - Vatican News
The Vatican Observatory announces that four asteroids have been named after important figures in its history, including Pope Leo XIII, who re-founded ...
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
I unconsciously pick up aspects of the local accent, so my accent is a weird mixof everything. In New York I cringed after I went out for “cwaufee”. Now I live in Italy but my confreres are mostly not Italian. I speak Italian in a weird foreign (but not American) accent.
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
And here's the full poster
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
Applications for the 2027 Vatican Observatory Summer School (Theme: The Cosmic Legacy of Evolved Stars) are now open! Visit www.vaticanobservatory.va/en/component... Application deadline 30 SEPTEMBER 2026
Poster for VOSS 2027, depicting a sketch of Angelo Secchi's observatory atop the church of St. Ignatius, with a sky brightly lit with a galaxy of stars.  Information about the school (also available on the website) is overprinted.
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
In the latest batch of asteroid names, Pope Leo XIII (1810-1903) was honored with the asteroid 858334 Gioacchinopecci.
Graph showing the orbit of asteroid 858334 Gioacchinopecci, along with the text: "Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci (Pope Leo XIII, 1810–1903) had a great interest in the sciences and was responsible for the re-establishment and reform of the Vatican Observatory in 1891 within the walls of the Vatican. He also encouraged the Observatory to get involved in the Carte du Ciel project."
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
Today I was honored to serve as proxy for Jocelyn Bell Burnell to receive the European Capo Circeo prize.
Br Bob Macke holding a gold plated award with the name Jocelyn Bell Burnell on it
The Capo Circeo award sitting on a table and in the background is a panel of 4 Italian dignitaries
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
Only comes in packs of two
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
From our guestbook during the first IAU general assembly (1922)
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
I kind of like Fukang, for childish reasons. And then there’s Waconda, which is surprisingly devoid of vibranium.
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
“It’s just a local fisherman out for a pleasure cruise at night through eel-infested waters.”
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
I hope they stopped at a nice restaurant on the way for some antipasta.
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
My giants? They might be.
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
Happy St. Patrick's Day! Grab a pint of your favorite Irish beverage and celebrate a new paper by the members of my working group in OSIRIS-REx. science.nasa.gov/missions/osi...
science.nasa.gov
Asteroid Bennu's Rugged Surface Baffled NASA, We Finally Know Why - NASA Science
In one of the biggest surprises of NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission, its target asteroid, Bennu, turned out to be a jagged, rugged world covered in large boulders, with few of the smooth patches of sandy or ...
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
When people include all their accolades, it’s a red flag that it’s either an impersonator or the person is really full of themselves and probably not worth dealing with.
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
Based on past "launch dates", April 1 will come around and NASA will be like "jk. It's really October."
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
Happy 135th Birthday Vatican Observatory!
Vatican Flag with Vatican Observatory logo and image of Pope Leo XIII, with text, "Happy 135th Birthday Vatican Observatory! / Motu Proprio Ut Mysticam 14 March 1891: 'That everyone might see clearly that the Church and her Pastors are not opposed to true and sound science, whether human or divine, but that they embrace it, encourage it, and promote it with the fullest possible dedication.' Pope Leo XIII"
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
Pitch an unnecessary sequel Oppenheimest
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
Pitch an unnecessary sequel The Princess Divorcee
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Br. Robert Macke SJ @brbobmackesj.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
Kilofollowers
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