How the Site Works
This site is based on the "Explore the Universe" exhibition at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum. Divided into four sections focusing on different methods of observation, the site allows you to explore the history of our understanding of the Universe. As you move through the site, the icon in the top right corner will indicate where you would be in the actual museum exhibition.Each section is arranged chronologically to impart a sense of our evolving view of the Universe. Photographs, animations, and videos appearing throughout the site will show you the tools, the people, and the observations that have shaped that view. From time to time, you will also see a "Explore Further" button. Clicking on it will reveal additional information about the subject you are exploring. The site, like the exhibition, is designed to allow you to explore as much or as little as you choose and to gain a deeper appreciation for the Universe and the tools that have revealed it to us.
Floor Plan
Explore the Universe Artifacts and Major Models
Below is a summary of the artifacts that are n the Explore the Universe exhibit space and mentioned throughout the site. We hope that you can make it in person!Exploring the Universe with the Naked Eye
Islamic astrolabe, 1090 A.D.
French astrolabe, circa 1600s UN:220-S8 Islamic celestial
globe, 1630 A.D.
Quadrant astrolabe, circa 1325 A.D.
Portable mural quadrant replica
Armillary sphere replica
Exploring the Universe with Telescopes
Galilean telescope replica
Cometarium
Isaac Newton's telescope replica
Achromatic telescope, circa 1818
Lens and eyepiece, circa 1685
William Herschel's 20-foot telescope tube
Telescope mirror for the 20-foot telescope
Royal Astronomical Society Gold Medal awarded to John Herschel
Exploring the Universe with Photography
Observing Cage from the Mount Wilson Observatory's 100-Inch
telescope
Photographic plate
Lantern slides of galaxies by James Keeler
Blink comparator for finding variable stars 500 Exploring
the Universe with Spectroscopy
Spectroscope from the late 1800s
Spectrograph from the early 1900s
Machine for measuring shifts in spectral lines
Prime focus spectrograph from Palomar Observatory's 200-inch
telescope
Prime focus spectrograph camera
Prime focus spectrograph diffraction grating
Prime focus spectrograph photographic plate holders
Exploring the Universe in the Digital Age
Electromagnetic spectrum in stained glass
Dicke radiometer
IRAS focal plane detector
IRAS detectors
CCDs
Kodak digital camera
Mark III Photometer from Kitt Peak Observatory
Copernicus Open Cathode Photomultiplier
ROSAT High-Resolution Imager (HRI)
HRI detector screen prototype
EGRET detector element
Hess cosmic ray telescope
Alpher, Herman, and Gamow "Ylem" bottle
Pigeon trap used by Penzias and Wilson
Reconstructed Leeds & Northrup Model G chart recorder
Balloon-borne far-infrared spectrometer
Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) 1/5-scale model
FIRAS and DIRBE prototypes from COBE
Far Infrared Spectrograph (FIRS)
U-2 DMR
Boomerang detector element
Hubble Space Telescope (HST) 1/5-scale model
Optical elements from HST WF/PC camera
CCD from HST WF/PC camera
4-shooter pyramid prism
Keck Observatory model
Hubble Space Telescope backup mirror
Half-aluminized test mirror
Multiple Mirror Telescope (MMT) combining prism
Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT)
Spectrograph used by Geller and Huchra
CCDs from Sloan Digital Sky Survey
Sloan telescope plug plate
Spectrograph used by Vera Rubin UN:633-M9 Chandra 1/5-scale
model
X-ray telescope mirror
Faint Object Spectrograph from Hubble Space Telescope
Photomultiplier tube from Kamiokande II neutrino observatory
Four-Meter Mayall Telescope 1/44-scale model
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