Vatican Observatory has asteroid named after Pope Leo XIII

Vatican Observatory has asteroid named after Pope Leo XIII

The Vatican Observatory announces that four asteroids have been named after important figures in its history, including Pope Leo XIII, who re-founded the institute in 1891 after the loss of the papal territories. Read all

4 asteroids just got named for Pope Leo XIII, Vatican astronomers

The Vatican Observatory announced in an April 29 press release that an asteroid has been named in honor of Pope Leo XIII, who formally reestablished the observatory in 1891.

An asteroid will be named after Pope Leo XIII: here's why - ZENIT

(ZENIT News / Vatican City, 05.01.2026).- The Vatican Observatory has inscribed part of its own history into the heavens. Four newly named asteroids now bear the names of figures closely tied to the institution’s scientific and ecclesial heritage, reaffirming a message the Catholic Church has long sought to communicate: that faith and rigorous scientific inquiry are not adversaries, but partners in the search for truth. The announcement, recentl…