Astronomy for everyone: lectures, workshops and celestial phenomena on campus

Erika Torres Chávez

The peak of the Northern Taurid meteor shower will occur on the night of November 11-12, and on November 14, Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter will be visible together in the sky, meaning they can be seen without a telescope. These astronomical events will coincide with ITESO-Ibero Astronomy Week 2026, organized by Javier Zapata Romano, a professor in the Department of Mathematics and Physics at ITESO.

“This year we were asked to hold Astronomy Week to get things moving towards ITESO’s 70th anniversary, and we’re bringing in three great personalities: Martin Wendt, an astrophysicist from the University of Potsdam; Paul Gabor, SJ, a Jesuit with a doctorate in Physics who is also vice-rector of the Vatican Observatory; and Susana Lizano Soberón, from UNAM, the first woman to enter the Exact Sciences area of the National College, who will give the opening keynote address, 'The Birth of Planetary Systems',” Zapata says.

In addition to the conferences, there will be workshops designed to take place in smaller classrooms, which will create a closer interaction with the exhibitors.

In the workshop “Observing with the Pope's Telescope remotely. A new sponsored project at Vatican Observatory”, Paul Gabor, SJ, will present a project that the Vatican Observatory has to invite students from Jesuit universities to use the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope (VATT), which, after its robotization and automation, can be used remotely.

In a second workshop he will lead, “The timekeeping, the calendar, the leap second and the Society of Jesus,” Gabor will discuss the history of the Society of Jesus in relation to these developments, particularly the reform of the Gregorian calendar, in which Christopher Clavius, SJ, was heavily involved.

Martin Wendt will guide attendees through the scales of the universe and explain how it is observed using different types of telescopes. Other activities include a presentation by Lorena Arias Montaño, professor at the Ibero-American University (Ibero) in Mexico City and astrophotographer, who will discuss the exhibition "Astrophotography in Mexico" at the Dr. Jorge Villalobos Padilla Library, and a presentation by Gerardo Martínez Avilés, also from Ibero Mexico City, who will present the book " Clavius Astronomical Center: A History ." Fermín Aceves de la Cruz, from ITESO, will speak about the construction of astrolabes.

“I would recommend attending any of the three keynote lectures, because they will offer a very particular perspective on how to present the topics. For example, if you are interested in learning about how the planets formed, Susana's lecture is for you. Or if you are interested in learning about the relationship between the Jesuits, science, and the Vatican, then attend the lectures or workshops with Paul Gabor, SJ,” Zapata suggests.

Astronomy Week is an opportunity to get closer to those who scrutinize the universe in search of explaining it better, as well as to be part of a tradition of astronomical outreach since the creation of ITESO in 1957.

The full program of activities can be found at https://ite.so/5u .