The Vatican Observatory automated its Arizona telescope for remote use by Jesuit students, with support from a donation from Fordham Board of Trustees member Kim Bepler, given in honor of President Emeritus Father Joseph M. McShane.
A new automation system for the telescope at the Holy See’s astronomical observatory in Arizona will allow students from Jesuit universities to use it remotely for scientific research. Mount Graham in Arizona is home to the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope (VATT), one of the most important observatories managed by the Vatican Observatory (Specola Vaticana).
The automation was also made possible thanks to donations from Kim Bepler, who specifically supports various Jesuit initiatives and serves on the board of trustees of Fordham University.
To launch the project, Bepler offered “a generous contribution in honor of Father Joseph M. McShane, president emeritus of Fordham University and a member of the development committee of the Vatican Observatory Foundation.”
