MSU MUSEUM PRESENTS OBSERVING WITH NASA
AN AUTHENTIC DATA EXPERIENCE WITH ASTRONOMICAL IMAGING

The MSU Museum will host Observing With NASA, an exhibit kiosk from the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory that engages visitors in the art and science of NASA imagery, in the Science on a Sphere Gallery from February 7 through April 29, 2023. Observing With NASA offers an introduction to the tools, data, and skills that NASA space scientists and data visualization experts use to create the images of deep space objects that we all know and love.

The Observing With NASA kiosk will feature a range of NASA’s most iconic images to explore and opportunities for visitors to put their own artistic spin on these images through image analysis and processing. After its run at the MSU Museum, the kiosk will travel to the Abrams Planetarium on the campus of Michigan State University from May – June 2023.

“Our work to bring the Observing With NASA kiosk to MSU is the first of a series of space-related programs we’re hosting this spring in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution,” said MSU Museum Director Devon Akmon. “As Michigan’s first Affiliate of the Smithsonian, the MSU Museum seeks to catalyze creativity at the nexus of the arts, sciences, cultures, and technologies through these collaborative initiatives.”

In addition to the hands-on experience with the kiosk, the MSU Museum has several programs planned around the exhibit including an art and astrophotography painting workshop where participants will create their own acrylic paintings based on images from space. Additionally, on various Saturdays throughout the exhibit, visitors can explore the interactive touchscreen with the help of Astronomy Outreach volunteers and watch special NASA related programs on Science on a Sphere. See the full schedule of programs at museum.msu.edu.

The Observing With NASA project is a partnership between the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and Smithsonian Affiliations, supported by NASA award number 80NSSC19M0158.