Saturday, February 16, through Friday, February 22, 2013: Embark on a journey as the world's great telescopes gaze ever further into the distant past--and into the future at the Museum of Natural History and Planetarium in Roger Williams Park. Enjoy the Museum's newest multimedia full dome planetarium show, Two Small Pieces of Glass; the new exhibit Dynamic Galaxies: Our Place in the Universe, and family fun activities.
Dynamic Galaxies: Our Place in the Universe
New Exhibit opening Saturday, February 16, 2013
Looking beyond our cosmic neighborhood reveals that the distant Universe is filled with galaxies. Galaxies are vast collections of stars, gas, dust and dark matter held together by the gravity exerted by all these objects on each other. Galaxies come in a spectacular variety of sizes, shapes and patterns, from small assemblages of fewer than 1000 stars and no gas to giant systems with more than 10 trillion stars and even more dark matter.
The beauty of galaxies' appearance is due to their dynamic nature. The cycle of star birth and death frames their spiral arms, and the galaxy centers harbor giant black holes that can send jets of high energy radiation into space.
In this new exhibit we will explore just some of the properties of galaxies, and what we've learned about the Universe from studying them.
Sponsored by the Brown/NASA Northeast Planetary Data Center & The Rhode Island Space Grant Consortium
Two Small Pieces of Glass: The Amazing Telescope
Daily at 1:00pm and 2:00pm, Saturday, February 16, through Friday, February 22
Cost: $3.00 Children under 4 not admitted (includes Museum admission fee)
A little more than four hundred years ago, Galileo's simple adjustment to a child's spyglass revealed for the first time an infinite and perplexing universe to our eyes and imaginations. From the moons of Jupiter to the rings of Saturn and the structure of galaxies, this show explores how telescopes have helped us understand our place in space and how they continue to expand our understanding of the cosmos.
Museum Admission is $2, free for children under age 4. Planetarium Admission (includes Museum admission) is $3.00, no one under the age of 4 is permitted in the planetarium. The Museum does not accept Credit/Debit Cards. Cash or Check only. The Museum of Natural History is open daily 10:00am - 4:00pm, year round. Last admission is at 3:30pm. The Museum of Natural History is wheelchair accessible.