Sketcher of the Skies

The Vatican Observatory Podcast

What spurs an artist to start sketching celestial objects as they look in her small telescope? What thrills her the most? Is it seeing the fine details of nebulae through large telescopes? Sketching the Moon's slowly changing terminator and Sun's prominences? Working with children - helping them understand the night sky, and awakening their curiosity in science?

Deirdre Kelleghan is an astronomical artist, living in western Ireland, under incredibly dark skies. With an eye to the telescope, she sketches the beauty of the cosmos, and through her outreach, she teaches others how to do the same.
Deirdre is a former President of the Irish Astronomical Society, and is the current Outreach / Vice Chair of the Irish Federation of Astronomical Societies; she has been interviewed on TV, radio and podcasts about her outreach activities. She is also a Sacred Space Astronomy author, and frequently posts her artwork on the Vatican Observatory website.
Guests:
- Deirdre Kelleghan: Astronomer, astronomical artist, educator and Sacred Space Astronomy author.
- Br. Guy Consolmagno SJ: Director of Vatican Observatory and President of the Vatican Observatory Foundation.
Deirdre 's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@skysketcher1
Deirdre's website: http://www.deirdrekelleghan.net/
Vatican Observatory website: https://www.vaticanobservatory.org/
Intro music: Irreducible by ComaStudio