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  Observing the Universe
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Our Place in Space

In this introductory area, visitors begin at our own Milky Way galaxy and travel outward to billions of galaxies as far as our eyes can see. The question of how we fit into the vast web that is our universe has intrigued observers for many centuries. It is with modern tools and instruments that we are beginning to truly understand how vast the universe really is and how important our questions are.

Welcome Home gives scale and context for our place in our local "cosmic neighborhood" using a large mural of the Milky Way and nearest neighbors. Explore an interactive map, and a tactile bronze model with audio narration.

Mapping the Universe shows how our ideas about our place in the universe have been expanding throughout time with a display detailing the human quest to map our place in the cosmos. View the universe of galaxies in 3D using a stereo viewer, and see an astrolabe, a kind of instrument used by astronomers 1000 years ago.

Wall of Galaxies illustrates that the Milky Way is just one of billions of galaxies in the universe with a photo gallery of beautiful galaxies and galaxy clusters beyond our local neighborhood. Launch from Earth and journey through the universe using state-of-the-art scientific visualizations of the cosmos.

Human Reflections connects visitors to various interpretations of cosmic themes and allow them to reflect on their own views. See artistic, spiritual and intellectual reflections on universal cosmic questions. Listen in on a video of artists and scientists; use a magnetic word board to create your own cosmic poetry.


Continue with "Observing the Universe"