The mysterious object held by the Vatican in Arizona

The Vatican one can say that it is one of the most mysterious places in the world. The small state lets the public know little about it, such as that it is the smallest country in the world, and that it is where the pope lives. But there is a very interesting story to do with astronomy and the incredible Vatican property in Arizona that few people know about.

Vatican interest in astronomy

So when one thinks of the word Vatican, one would seldom associate it with “scientific progress.” In fact, grunge.com reports, because of the Vatican’s disagreements with astronomers such as Galileo in the 17th century, some might consider the Vatican to be the opposite of science in general. But this is not necessarily the case. According to NPR, the Vatican really had a long-standing interest in astronomy. In fact, in 1582, Pope Gregory XIII founded the Vatican Observatory, which by studying the stars, helped the Church to reform its calendar and set the dates of many religious holidays.

According to the Vatican Observatory website, the “modern” version of the Observatory began in 1891 when a large telescope dome was erected in Vatican City. From there, Vatican astronomers tried to create a detailed “map” of the stars. But, as the light pollution around Rome deteriorated in the 1930s, the observatory was moved to the Alban Hills, about 25 km south of the city. In the decades since, light conditions have worsened, prompting Vatican astronomers to move the telescope to a new location.

The huge Vatican Research Telescope in Arizona

This reveals in a way the mysterious object that the Vatican holds in Arizona of USA: a huge research telescope. This astronomical device is called the Alice P. Lennon Telescope and is a reflecting telescope with a mirror about 1.8 meters in diameter, which makes it very large for a telescope of its type. Together, the Alice P. Lennon Telescope and surrounding research facilities are known as the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope or VATT.

Construction was completed in 1993 and is located in a secluded part of southeastern Arizona several miles outside of Tucson, the nearest major city. Due to Arizona’s high altitude and clear skies, VATT is just one of dozens of telescopes in the state, grunge.com reports. VATT time is shared between the Vatican and the University of Arizona on a 75/25 basis, with both institutions responsible for maintaining the device.