Traveling exhibit of planets, galaxies makes stop at UW-Whitewater

October 23, 2009

The far reaches of the universe will soon be available for viewing in Upham Hall on the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater campus.

"From Earth to the Universe," a traveling exhibit featuring 40 images of planets and galaxies, will be on display in the hallways and lobby area of Upham Hall from Friday, Oct. 23, through Monday, Nov. 23. The exhibit is part of Wisconsin’s celebration of 2009 as the International Year of Astronomy, a worldwide event marking 400 years since Galileo first viewed the cosmos.

Physics Department Chair Steven Sahyun called the collection of 3-foot by 4-foot images inspiring, and hopes students take advantage of this opportunity.

"It will be neat for students to see the pictures that satellites have been taking of the earth and stars and galaxies," he said.

No physics experience is necessary to view the posters, and each have a description in English, Spanish and Hmong.

"This is really for anyone who walks through Upham," Sahyun said. "It is a promotional tool to get people to start thinking about astronomy, to stop and think about what's up there."

The exhibit will continue making its way around Wisconsin with a stop at the UW Space Place Science Museum in Madison after its visit at UW-Whitewater.

Sahyun hopes that students as well as community members have a chance to stop in Upham Hall to see the images while they are on campus.

"There are a lot of neat things out there to see and think about," he said. "This display brings those things down for people to see in an everyday setting. Hopefully people can stop their daily routines to think about these wonders."

The display was made possible by UW-Madison graduate student Laura Trouille who received an International Year of Astronomy Ambassador grant to develop a project for the state.