at the National Museum of Natural History.
October 21, 2011 – January 20, 2013
Take a mind-bending journey from Earth to the far reaches of space—back to the beginning of the universe about 13.6 billion years ago.
The farther we peer into space with powerful telescopes, the farther back into the history of the universe we see. The light from our Sun—a mere 93 million miles away—takes only a few minutes to reach Earth. But when we look at stars and galaxies in the night sky, we are seeing light that has traveled for millions—even billions—of years to reach us.
By looking back in time, we can observe how the universe has evolved from its beginnings.
Start in our solar system and travel out into space, or begin at the Big Bang and travel forward in time.
Did you know that the Smithsonian has an astrophysical observatory?
The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO), founded in 1890, is a research bureau of the Smithsonian Institution. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and affiliated with the Harvard College Observatory, SAO is part of one of the largest and most diverse astrophysical institutions in the world. The observatory and its more than 300 scientists conduct research in astronomy, astrophysics, and earth and space sciences.
Most of the images in the exhibition were taken by telescopes and cameras developed, built, and operated by SAO.
SAO and the Harvard College Observatory together comprise the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA), a name you will see in the credits to some of the pictures.