Yale Bulletin and Calendar

September 22, 2006|Volume 35, Number 3

Children will have the opportunity to interact at the various stations of the "Alien Earths" exhibit.

Are we alone? 'Alien Earths' explores
scientists' quest to find out

Visitors to the Peabody Museum will have the opportunity to hear sounds from space, set planets in motion around a star, search for planets around distant stars and sample the methods scientists use to explore the galaxies.

The museum's new exhibit, "Alien Earths," presents research and discoveries related to NASA's Origins Program, a series of missions spanning the next 20 years in which scientists will use space- and ground-based observatories to understand the origin and development of galaxies, stars, planets and the conditions necessary to support life. The exhibition, developed by the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado, also incorporates research from Yale scientists working in the fields of astronomy and geophysics. It runs Sept. 30 through May 6.

The exhibition features scientists' quest to answer the questions "Where did we come from?" and "Are we alone?" Numerous interactive stations and multimedia presentations allow visitors to join the search for extraterrestrial life and more. There are four viewing clusters:

"Our Place in Space" allows visitors to see a representation of the area scientists are searching beyond Earth's solar system, which represents a small part of the Milky Way galaxy.

"Star Birth" features animated footage of stars going through their life cycles. By moving planets of various masses into place around a star and setting them in motion, visitors will witness how all members of a planetary family affect each other, as well as how difficult, and perhaps rare, it is to achieve a stable solar system like the one containing Earth.

"Planet Quest" demonstrates the methods that scientists have developed for searching for planets that cannot be seen or reached by spacecraft. One method involves the placement of wooden balls, representing planets of various sizes, in orbit around a model star. Changes appear in a graph that measures the light from the star as each planet passes between it and a light sensor. By observing similar changes in the light of a distant star, scientists can infer the presence of a planet in orbit around it. Another method allows museum visitors to spin different size balls, representing stars and planets, to create varying degrees of "wobble" as the planet orbits its sun. Most extrasolar planets have been detected by observing a star's wobble.

In "Search for Life" a computer will scan a visitor's hand to reveal the countless life forms living on and within the human body. Visitors can smell the difference between microbial colonies, listen to sounds from space to learn what signals from intelligent beings might sound like, and learn about a distant planet's habitability from a few pixels of light. When scientists search for evidence of intelligent life forms, they look and listen for microbes, which are Earth's most abundant life form and without which life on Earth would not exist.

Funding for "Alien Earths" was provided by the National Science Foundation and the Kepler, Navigator and Spitzer NASA missions. Additional support comes from the NASA Astrobiology Institute, the Space Telescope Science Institute and SETI Institute.

The Peabody Museum, located at 170 Whitney Ave., is open Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday, noon-5 p.m. All programs and exhibits are free with admission. Admission is $7 for adults, $6 for seniors (65 and older) and $5 for children ages 3-18 and students with a valid I.D. Admission is free for everyone on Thursdays 2-5 p.m. The museum is wheelchair accessible.

T H I SW E E K ' SS T O R I E S

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Yale Library donates computers to hurricane-damaged university

David LaVan chosen to take part in 'Frontiers of Engineering'

New Republic editor visits as Poynter Fellow

Conference to explore frontier violence in American history, culture

Sports columnist Christine Brennan is this year's first Chubb Fellow

Yale Philharmonia to present three concerts at the Shubert

JE exhibit features photographer's portraits of gay and lesbian authors

'This Old Stuff' and a treasure hunt are highlights of open house

Circumcision advocacy programs reduce incidence of HIV, report shows

Geologist honored for a second time with GSA Award for his research

Conference examines the work of German political theorist . . .

Two assistant professors win awards for environmental health research

Five alumni are honored with the Yale Medal . . .

Forum explored the topic of 'Biodiversity and Human Health'

Yale Books in Brief

Campus Notes