BROTHER GUY CONSOLMAGNO Does Astronomy Matter?

It's hard to think of an activity more removed from day to day human cares than looking at the stars. And yet, our understanding of ourselves and our place in the universe can, and does, have an impact on the way we live and the way we treat one another. Br. Guy Consolmagno SJ of the Vatican Observatory looked at some of the surprising ways that astronomy and society have interacted, both historically and in the present day, in both society as a whole and in his personal experiences from Africa to Antarctica.