ASTC - Traveling Exhibitions

Giant Worlds: A Voyage to the Outer Solar System

Since Galileo first glimpsed the rings of Saturn in 1610, the beauty of the outer Solar System’s giant planets has captivated human observers. Now, tools like the Hubble Space Telescope, Keck Observatory, and Cassini spacecraft are enabling scientists to look beyond the beauty of these giant planets to expand our understanding of the origins of solar systems, formation of stars and planets, and conditions necessary for life.

Giant Worlds: A Voyage to the Outer Solar System, developed by the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado, brings these recent discoveries to life through a series of rich interactive and multimedia experiences. The 3,500-square-foot exhibition comprises three interrelated clusters of components: Family of the Sun, Meet the Giants, and New Frontiers. Visitors are able to:

Peer through a replica of Galileo’s telescope
Become “attractive bodies” to explore the force of gravity
Launch virtual probes into Jupiter’s enormous atmosphere
Visit the bridge of a futuristic spaceship and travel to the giant worlds of our Solar System
Learn more about NASA’s Juno mission to Jupiter.

The exhibition is enriched by program materials and training for host museum educators and an interactive website, Giant Worlds Online.

Giant Worlds Online

Major funding for Giant Worlds comes from the National Science Foundation and National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The national tour begins in October 2008.