Each day, high above the clouds, dozens of sophisticated imaging satellites circle the Earth. These high-tech machines are capable of capturing extraordinary conditions and events that are nearly impossible to document from the surface of the planet. These remarkable images, which reveal the awesome beauty of the planet’s surface through the “eyes” of a space satellite, are on display in a new Smithsonian traveling exhibition.
Earth from Space opens at Lubeznik Center for the Arts in Michigan City, IN, January 14 and will remain on view through March 11, 2012.
Featuring 40 beautifully detailed satellite images of the planet—from the swirling arms of a massive hurricane and the grid-like pattern of Kansas farmland to the triangular shadows cast by the Great Pyramids and the sinuous channels entering the Arctic Ocean—Earth From Space illustrates how satellite imagery is gathered and used to expand mankind’s understanding of life on Earth. It also explores the remote sensing technology used to gather the images and discusses the individual satellites whose images are on display.
A Magic Planet digital video globe—a digital display with a sphere-shaped screen—complements the traveling exhibition. The animations on this tool will allow visitors to observe the global extent of images returned from orbiting satellites.
An educational companion Web site—www.earthfromspace.si.edu—contains an online version of the exhibition, as well as additional images and information. It also provides numerous educational resources, including lesson plans, classroom activities, Web site links and available publications.
Earth from Space was developed by the Center for Earth and Planetary Studies at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES). Andrew Johnston, a geographer at the National Air and Space Museum’s Center for Earth and Planetary Studies and author of Earth from Space (Firefly Books, 2004), is the exhibition’s curator. Johnson has recorded an introduction for Lubeznik Center's Earth from Space audio tour and will present a program at their March 9th Members' Preview event.
A public program titled Space from Earth will be presented by Purdue University Calumet Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Shawn Slavin on Thursday, February 23 from 7:00 p.m. ─ 9:00 p.m. (Central).
The exhibition is made possible by Global Imagination. Additional support is provided by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Smithsonian Women’s Committee.
The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum maintains the largest collection of historic aircraft and spacecraft in the world, is a vital center for research into the history, science and technology of aviation and space flight, and commemorates the development of aviation and space flight. The Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, a scientific research unit within the museum, performs original research and outreach activities on topics covering planetary science, terrestrial geophysics and the remote sensing of environmental change.
SITES has been sharing the wealth of Smithsonian collections and research programs with millions of people outside Washington, D.C., for more than 50 years. SITES connects Americans to their shared cultural heritage through a wide range of exhibitions about art, science and history, which are shown wherever people live, work and play. Exhibition descriptions and tour schedules are available at www.sites.si.edu.
Lubeznik Center for the Arts is located at 101 W. 2nd St., at the lakefront in Michigan City, IN. Gallery Hours are Tuesday through Friday from 10:00am to 5:00pm, Weekends 11:00am to 4:00pm. For more information please visit www.lubeznikcenter.org or call 219-874-4900. All times are based on Chicago time.
Photo: These sand dunes in Yemen are part of Earth's largest expanse of desert, which covers much of southern Saudi Arabia as well. Data from two satellites were combined to produce this image's vivid colors: blue indicates the rocky composition of the land surface and contrasts sharply with the highly reflective sand dunes in yellow.