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Astronomy exhibit, programs coming

Traveling astronomy exhibit, free programs coming to Grissom Library

“Visions of the Universe: Four Centuries of Discovery” will be on display at Grissom Library Nov. 29 to Feb. 15, 2012. A special exhibit opening will be at 7 p.m., on Tuesday, Nov. 29, at Grissom Library. The exhibit and associated programs are free and open to the public.

The Orion Nebula is a giant gas cloud where stars are being born. Credit: Hubble Space Telescope, NASA

Galileo Galilei transformed our knowledge of the universe in 1609 when he peered into the cosmos using an astronomical telescope — the first person to do so. A new traveling exhibit coming to Virgil I. Grissom Library celebrates that event and tells the story of how astronomy has evolved over the 400 years since then.

“Visions of the Universe: Four Centuries of Discovery” will be on display at Grissom Library Nov. 29 to Feb. 15, 2012. A special exhibit opening, including a ribbon-cutting by Newport News Mayor McKinley L. Price, will be at 7 p.m., on Tuesday, Nov. 29, at Grissom Library. The exhibit and associated programs are free and open to the public.

The exhibit uses historical drawings and diagrams made by Galileo and other early astronomers, along with dramatic contemporary images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope and other space missions, to show how our views and understanding of the universe and the objects within it have changed over the centuries.

The traveling exhibit, which is visiting 55 libraries throughout the United States, is part of a multi-year global celebration of astronomy and its contributions to society and culture, highlighted by the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s achievement. In the U.S., the goal of this continuing celebration is to offer an engaging astronomy experience to every person in the country.

“Visions of the Universe” is presented by the Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Maryland; the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, Massachusetts; and the American Library Association, Chicago, through funding from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

“Visions of the Universe” covers a wide range of topics related to the scientific exploration of the universe, from storms on the sun to features on the surfaces of Mars and the Moon, the nature of comets, star birth, and distant galaxies. The colorful exhibit panels feature striking images of planets, stars, comets, nebulae, and galaxies taken by NASA’s powerful astronomical observatories and spacecraft, as well as drawings and diagrams created by early astronomers such as Galileo, Christiaan Huygens, and Charles Messier, which show how the universe, stars, and planets were viewed and understood centuries ago.

Grissom Library also will be sponsoring free programs and other events for the public in connection with the exhibit. Part of the Newport News Public Library System, Grissom Library is located at 366 DeShazor Drive, Newport News, VA 23608. Call 757-369-3190 or visit www.nngov.com/library for upcoming schedules and more information about events.

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