exhibits

Hubble Space Telescope

 

November 2006 - February 18, 2008

Spectacular scenes from deep space are now on view at the State Museum in the new exhibit Hubble Space Telescope: New Views of the Universe.

The 2500 square-foot exhibit, from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, features striking images taken by the space telescope, which orbits the Earth 370 miles above the planet’s surface. “This is above the atmosphere, which allows the telescope to capture deep space more clearly than ground-based telescopes,” says Curator of Science and Technology Tom Falvey. “The exhibit focuses on the images and scientific data sent back to earth over the past 16 years.”

On April 25, 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope was deployed by the mission of the space shuttle Discovery, which was commanded by Columbia native Charles Bolden, then a colonel in the Marine Corps and NASA astronaut. Bolden is now a retired general, but maintains a great interest in space science, as is evidenced by his enthusiastic support of the upcoming OPT project to expand the Museum’s space science offerings, which will include an observatory, a planetarium and a 4-D theater.

The exhibit includes four main areas of study: planets, stars, galaxies and the universe. Four six-by-nine foot panels feature crystal clear, back-lit images of objects both familiar and beyond our imaginations, such as planets in our solar system, a stellar spire in the Eagle Nebula, and more than 10,000 galaxies in one small area of the sky.

“These images are truly spectacular,” says Falvey. “Not only will guests be impressed by their beauty, they also will be amazed by the science in every shot.”

Hands-on components include a game that allows guests to “shoot” Jupiter with a comet, examine a hand in infrared light and estimate star distances.

The exhibit also features a model of the space observatory and, through on-line presentations, the most current images and releases from the Space Telescope Science Institute.

“The exciting news just released about the Hubble scope is that NASA has approved a 2008 servicing mission to make improvements,“ says Falvey. “If you think these photographs are spectacular - and they definitely are - wait until you see pictures after the improvement. Two new instruments will be installed during the servicing mission, giving us a deeper look into the origins of the universe.”