Nineteenth Vatican Observatory Summer School on Astronomy and Astrophysics

Twenty-five students from twenty-one countries
The Vatican Observatory has announced that 25 students from 21 countries will participate in its 19th Summer School on Astronomy and Astrophysics, VOSS 2025, in June, and have the opportunity of exploring the universe with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Courses will take place at the Vatican Observatory, in the Pontifical Villas of Castel Gandolfo.
VOSS 2025 will offer a complete overview of chief results from the James Webb Telescope’s first three years of activity (2022-2025), “covering the four major scientific themes of JWST: (1) First Light and Reionization, (2) Assembly and Evolution of Galaxies, (3) Birth of Stars and Protoplanetary systems, and (4) Planetary Systems and the Origin of Life”.
Students will also have access to “hands-on tutorials for JWST data processing and analysis”. VOSS 2025 aims to “convey the excitement of astronomical research in the era of JWST and the skills to pursue research projects spanning a broad range of themes in astrophysics”.
Students participating in VOSS 2025 come from the following countries: Argentina, Austria, Brazil (2), Canada, Chile, China, Colombia (2), Egypt, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, (2), Lithuania, Morocco, New Zealand (2), Peru, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, United States of America, Uruguay.
Ever since the first VOSS in 1986, more than 450 students have participated in the Observatory’s summer school programs, which are open to students from all over the world, with Masters and Doctorate Degrees. Most of the students who were selected hail from developing countries. The selection process does not include any financial considerations, as there are no tuition fees, and financial aid for travel and board is provided by benefactors through the Vatican Observatory Foundation. This ensures that all admitted students can participate in the program. The students who were accepted to VOSS 25 were selected from a group of more than 170 applicants, also because of their excellent prospects of embarking on an active career in astronomy.
More than 85% of former VOSS students are currently employed as professional astronomers, including some of the most important names in contemporary astronomy.
For additional information, please visit: https://www.vaticanobservatory.va