Alien Earths

May 31 through September 1, 2008
Location: Kahn Hall

Are humans the only intelligent life in the galaxy? Many people don’t think so.

The exhibition Alien Earths, developed by the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado, presents a look into what scientists are doing to search for planets around distant stars and to discover life beyond Earth. Now it’s your turn to join the search. Come to the Museum to learn about recent discoveries and the methods and technologies being used to locate the building blocks of life.
 
The search for distant planets and life among the stars requires a plan and a lot of participation. To gain a better understanding of the origin and development of galaxies, stars, planets, and the conditions necessary to support life, NASA’s Origins Program, a 20-year series of missions, is using space—and ground-based observatories to gather important data that may help unlock the mysteries of our universe.
 
Through efforts like the Origins Program, more than 150 planets outside our solar system have already been identified, yet evidence of life continues to elude us. What exactly should we be looking for as we examine each new pixel of light from these distant stars? Any shred of planetary evidence, at any time, could be a vital clue to the age-old question: is anyone out there? That is precisely why we need to keep looking.
  
Hands-On Tour of the Universe
Through its many hands-on and multi-media interactive activities, Alien Earths explores the far reaches of the galaxy. The exhibit focuses on four main areas:

Our Place in Space—Explore the Milky Way
Our current technology can only search a relatively small region near our solar system. Learn how scientists explore this galactic neighborhood seeking distant worlds and signs of life.

Star and Planet Formation—Build your own Solar System
Stars are born in clouds of gas and dust that condense under the powerful force of gravity. Learn about star birth and the life cycles of different types of stars. Then explore the behavior of infrared radiation and how scientists use it to peer into stellar nurseries.

Planet Quest—How can we study what we can’t see?
We cannot travel across the galaxy at the speed of light or see a planet orbiting a distant star. Learn how scientists overcame this limitation to discover planets outside our solar system.

Search for Life—The Mighty Microbe
Our planet’s most abundant life form is the microbe. Learn what scientists are doing to search the cosmos for an item that is smaller than the human eye can view.

The Exhibit

• Come to the Museum to explore all that Alien Earths offers:
• Compare the life cycle of our sun to other stars;
• Set planets in motion around a star and watch what happens;
• Experiment with an infrared camera and ordinary objects;
• Feel the difference in density between three known planets;
• Smell the difference between various microbial colonies;
• Listen to sounds from space and find out what signals from intelligent beings might sound like.
You are guaranteed to leave Aliens Earths with a deeper understanding of the universe and the quest for life.

Alien Earths receives funding from 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.