Temple Chevallier - Durham University

The 2026/7 Temple Chevallier Lecture: Astronomy, God, and the search for elegance

Brother Guy Consolmagno
Director Emeritus of the Vatican Observatory

Wednesday 14 October 2026, 4.30pm, Applebey Lecture Theatre (W103)
Department of Geography, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE

Scientific theories must do more than just satisfy the data; they must do so in a mathematically "elegant" way. Kepler, Maxwell and Einstein are examples of scientists who found a sense of aesthetic "rightness" directed their scientific intuition to theories they could express rationally, mathematically, leading to deeper insights about nature. We'll examine examples of astronomical images of the stars and planets, going from an emotional appreciation of their beauty to an understanding that satisfies reason as well. Ultimately, this link between "elegance" and rational truth has profound theological implications.

Temple Chevallier lectures

The Temple Chevallier series of occasional public lectures honours a remarkable Victorian clergyman, astronomer, and mathematician of international repute who, amongst many things, co-founded and taught Britain’s first course for civil engineers.

The last lecture in this series took place on Wednesday 15 November 2023 in the Appleby Lecture Theatre (room W103) at 4.30pm. The lecture was titled 'The End is Not Yet Nigh: The Ultimate Fate of the Universe' and covered some concepts from major religions, and the modern cosmologists' latest theories of how all things might end. The speaker was Professor Martin Ward, Emeritus Temple Chevallier Professor of Astronomy in the Department of Physics here at Durham.

See all previous lectures