Searching for Goldilocks
Angela Palmer's sculpture depicts Kepler Observatory's search for habitable planets.
This exhibition is now closed.
Searching for Goldilocks is a sculpture created by artist Angela Palmer in 2012. It consists of 18 sheets of glass, onto which Palmer engraved locations of planets found by the Kepler Observatory, which has been charting a region of the Milky Way since 2009. The artwork name refers to the term "Goldilocks planet" — a world not too hot or not too cold to be habitable for life. Searching for Goldilocks shows stars up to 4,300 light years away and portrays the beauty and enormity of the universe. Searching for Goldilocks is made possible through the generous support of the Smithsonian United Kingdom Charitable Trust.
National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC