Earth from Space

Museum of History and Art, Ontario Presents Smithsonian Poster Exhibit Looking at Satellite Imagery in the Carlson Gallery.

The 20-poster set features beautifully detailed satellite images of the planet—from the swirling arms of a massive hurricane and the grid-like pattern of Kansas farmland to the triangular shadows cast by the Great Pyramids and the sinuous channels entering the Arctic Ocean. Earth from Space illustrates how satellite imagery is gathered and used to expand mankind’s understanding of life on Earth. It also explores the remote-sensing technology used to gather the images and describes the individual satellites whose images are on display. “The Smithsonian is proud to be able to share illuminating scholarship from the National Air and Space Museum in a format that allows for extraordinarily widespread distribution,” said Anna Cohn, SITES director. "Earth from Space inspires dreams and discovery, and while the photographs were taken from far away, they can launch learning opportunities about our lives here on earth.” The poster exhibition was born of the popular and award-winning museum exhibition of the same title that premiered November 2006 at the National Air and Space Museum. In 2007, Earth from Space won a U.S. Geological Survey communications award for science content. The images provide clues about the nature of our planet and offer teachers opportunities to engage students in a broad array of science topics, including geography, environmental studies, ecology, oceanography and meteorology. An educational companion Web site, www.earthfromspace.si.edu, contains an online version of the exhibition, and additional images and information. It also provides numerous educational resources, including lesson plans, classroom activities, Web site links and available publications. Earth from Space was developed by the Center for Earth and Planetary Studies at the National Air and Space Museum, in collaboration with SITES. Andrew Johnston, a geographer at the center and author of “Earth from Space” (Firefly Books, 2004), is the exhibition’s curator. SITES has been sharing the wealth of Smithsonian collections and research programs with millions of people outside Washington, D.C., for more than 50 years. SITES connects Americans to their shared cultural heritage through a wide range of exhibitions about art, science and history, which are shown wherever people live, work and play. Exhibition descriptions and tour schedules are available at www.sites.si.edu.