In 1609, Galileo first turned his telescope to the heavens and gave birth to modern astronomy. To commemorate four hundred years of exploring the universe, 2009 is designated the International Year of Astronomy.
NASA's Great Observatories - the Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer Space Telescope, and Chandra X-ray Observatory - are marking the occasion with the release of a suite of images at over 100 planetariums, museums, nature centers, and schools across the country in conjunction with Galileo's birthday on February 15.
The selected sites will unveil a large, 9-square-foot print of the spiral galaxy Messier 101 that combines the optical view of Hubble, the infrared view of Spitzer, and the X-ray view of Chandra into one multiwavelength picture. "It's like using your eyes, night vision goggles, and X-ray vision all at the same time," says Dr. Hashima Hasan, lead scientist for the International Year of Astronomy at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
Participating institutions also will display a matched trio of Hubble, Spitzer, and Chandra images of Messier 101. Each image shows a different wavelength view of the galaxy that illustrates not only the different science uncovered by each observatory, but also just how far astronomy has come since Galileo.
Messier 101 is a face-on spiral galaxy about 22 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. It is in many ways similar to, but larger than, our own Milky Way galaxy. Hubble's visible-light view shows off the swirls of bright stars and glowing gas that give the galaxy its nickname the Pinwheel Galaxy. In contrast, Spitzer's infrared-light image sees into the spiral arms and reveals the glow of dust lanes where dense clouds can collapse to form new stars. Chandra's X-ray picture uncovers the high-energy features in the galaxy, such as remnants of exploded stars or matter zooming around black holes. The juxtaposition of observations from these three telescopes provides an in-depth view of the galaxy for both astronomers and the public.
"The amazing scientific discoveries made by Galileo four centuries ago are continued today by scientists using NASA's space observatories," says Dr. Denise Smith, the unveiling Project Manager at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Md. "NASA's Great Observatories are distributing huge prints of spectacular images so that the public can share in the exploration and wonder of the universe."
The unveilings will take place between February 14 and 28 at 76 museums and 40 schools and universities in 39 states, reaching both big cities and small towns. Sites are planning celebrations involving the public, schools, and the local media. A complete listing of the national unveiling sites accompanies this press release.
The International Year of Astronomy Great Observatories Image Unveiling is supported by the NASA Science Mission Directorate Astrophysics Division. The project is a collaboration between the Space Telescope Science Institute, the Spitzer Science Center, and the Chandra X-ray Center.
LIST OF PARTICIPATING INSTITUTIONS
- Ball State University Planetarium, Muncie, Indiana
- Carmel Clay Schools Planetarium, Carmel, Indiana
- OMSI, Portland, Oregon
- Carnegie Science Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Raritan Valley Community College, North Branch, New Jersey
- Crane Point Museum & Nature Center, Marathon, Florida
- The Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Discovery Center of Springfield, Springfield, Missouri
- John J. McCarthy Observatory, New Milford, Connecticut
- North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, North Carolina
- Kopernik Observatory and Science Center, Vestal, New York
- Austin Nature and Science Center, Austin, Texas
- Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaii, Hilo, Hawaii
- William M. Staerkel Planetarium, Champaign, Illinois
- University of Maine Maynard F. Jordan Planetarium and Observatory, Orono, Maine
- Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum, Chicago, Illinois
- Fernbank Science Center, Atlanta, Georgia
- Challenger Learning Center of Maine, Bangor, Maine
- Amherst College Wilder Observatory and Bassett Planetarium, Amherst, Massachusetts
- NASA Educator Resource Center (ERC) at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott, Arizona
- Hudnall Planetarium at Tyler Junior College, Tyler, Texas
- Merrillville Community Planetarium (part of the Merrillville Community School Corporation), Merrillville, Indiana
- Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Santa Barbara, California
- Arizona Science Center, Phoenix, Arizona
- Sacramento Museum of History, Science & Technology (dba Discovery Museum Science & Space Center), Sacramento, California
- Elachee Nature Science Center, Gainesville, Georgia
- Ralph Mueller Planetarium - University of Nebraska State Museum, Lincoln, Nebraska
- Buffalo Museum of Science, Buffalo, New York
- Virginia Living Museum, Newport News, Virginia
- Schenectady Museum and Suits-Bueche Planetarium, Schenectady, New York
- The Detroit Science Center, Detroit, Michigan
- Jordanelle State Park, Heber City, Utah
- KCMSD Planetarium, Kansas City, Missouri
- McWane Science Center, Birmingham, Alabama
- Lakeview Museum of Arts and Sciences, Peoria, Illinois
- Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium, Fort Myers, Florida
- The Tech Museum of Innovation, San Jose, California
- Agnes Scott College, Decatur, Georgia
- Mohave Middle School, Scottsdale, Arizona
- African American Heritage Society, Franklin, Tennessee
- University of Denver, Chamberlin Observatory, Denver, Colorado
- UNC Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- Pike Planetarium, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Sun Valley High School, Aston, Pennsylvania
- Angelo State University, San Angelo, Texas
- Plymouth White Marsh High School, Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania
- Hudson River Museum, Yonkers, New York
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Planetarium at King Science and Technology Magnet, Omaha, Nebraska
- The Natural Science Center of Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina
- Santa Fe College Kika Silva Pla Planetarium, Gainesville, Florida
- The Citadel, Charleston, South Carolina
- Suffolk County Community College, Selden, New York
- National Park Service, Montrose, Colorado
- Strickler Planetarium on the campus of Olivet Nazarene University, Bourbonnais, Illinois
- Christa McAuliffe Planetarium, Concord, New Hampshire
- Berkeley County Planetarium, Hedgesville, West Virginia
- Ott Planetarium - Weber State University, Ogden, Utah
- Waubonsie Valley High School Planetarium, Aurora, Illinois
- Peter F. Hurst Planetarium, Jackson, Michigan
- The Christenberry Planetarium at Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama
- Museum of Science & Industry - MOSI, Tampa, Florida
- Longwood Regional Planetarium at Longwood CSD, Middle Island, New York
- Robeson Planetarium and Science Center, Lumberton, North Carolina
- Central Texas College, Killeen, Texas
- Louisiana Art and Science Museum & the Irene W. Pennington Planetarium, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Planetarium at the University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, Texas
- Milwaukee Public Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- The Gene Roddenberry Planetarium / The El Paso Independent School District, El Paso, Texas
- Exploration Place, Wichita, Kansas
- Purdue University College of Education, West Lafayette, Indiana
- The Children's Museum, West Hartford, Connecticut
- ScienceWorks Hands-On Museum, Ashland, Oregon
- Texas A&M University-Commerce Planetarium, Commerce, Texas
- Sibley Nature Center, Midland, Texas
- Chabot Space & Science Center, Oakland, California
- Brevard Community College Planetarium, Cocoa, Florida
- Texas A&M International University's Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium, Laredo, Texas
- Rainwater Observatory & Planetarium, French Camp, Mississippi
- Science Central, Fort Wayne, Indiana
- The Science Factory, Eugene, Oregon
- Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute, Rosman, North Carolina
- College of Southern Idaho, Twin Falls, Idaho
- Columbia Public Schools Planetarium partnered with Central Missouri Astronomical Association at Laws Observatory, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri
- Gheens Science Hall and Rauch Planetarium, Louisville, Kentucky
- DuPont Planetarium - University of South Carolina Aiken, Aiken, South Carolina
- Sudekum Planetarium at the Adventure Science Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- Saint Louis Science Center's James S. McDonnell Planetarium, St. Louis, Missouri
- Watson-King Planetarium, Towson, Maryland
- MiraCosta College, Oceanside, California
- Frosty Drew Nature Center and Observatory, Charlestown, Rhode Island
- Kennedy Planetarium, South Bend, Indiana
- Kalamazoo Nature Center, Kalamazoo, Michigan
- Robert T. Longway Planetarium, Flint, Michigan
- Dennos Museum Center / Northwestern Michigan College, Traverse City, Michigan
- Discovery Station at Hagerstown, Inc. and Brish Planetarium of the Washington County Public Schools, Hagerstown, Maryland
- The Museum of Flight, Seattle, Washington
- Youngstown State University, Youngstown, Ohio
- COSI, Columbus, Ohio
- Chippewa Valley Astronomical Society & Beaver Creek Reserve, Fall Creek, Wisconsin
- Tulsa Air and Space Museum & Planetarium, Tulsa, Oklahoma
- Windward Community College, Center for Aerospace Education, Kaneohe, Hawaii
- Red River Astronomy Club, Nashville, Arkansas
- Westminster Astronomical Society, Westminster, Maryland
- Minnesota Planetarium Society, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Midland Lutheran College, Fremont, Nebraska
- University of Arizona Biosphere 2, Tucson, Arizona
- Austin Public Library, Austin, Texas
- Como Planetarium, Saint Paul, Minnesota
- Delta College Planetarium and Learning Center, Bay City, Michigan
- Muncie Community Schools Planetarium, Muncie, Indiana
- University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, Colorado
- Mayo High School Planetarium, Rochester, Minnesota
- University of Texas at Arlington / UTA Planetarium, Arlington, Texas
- Montgomery College Takoma Park Silver Spring Campus, Takoma Park, Maryland
- Denver Museum of Nature & Science, Denver, Colorado
- Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California
