For a few weeks this fall, both the Maryland Science Center in
Baltimore and the American Museum of Natural History in New York were
graced with a unique science and art exhibit. In a public presentation
of astronomy data, Hubble spectra were etched with a high-power green
laser on the facades of these two museums.
At first glance, the
laser art exhibit is just a series of green squiggly lines. It looks
more like a heartbeat or earthquake monitor than anything to do with
Hubble or the universe. However, a little explanation can illuminate
that connection and convey the deeper meaning behind it.
Hubble is
well known for its amazing images, but about half of Hubble’s
observations and discoveries come from examining an object’s spectrum.
Hubble’s instruments disperse the object’s light into its component
rainbow of colors. By studying the brightness of the light at each
color, astronomers can deduce properties like temperature, composition,
and motion. The graphs of spectra are the squiggly lines featured in the
laser art exhibit.
Importantly, spectra are the crucial
observations for very distant galaxies in the universe. These galaxies
are so far away that even Hubble sees them as small blobs of light.
Spectra provide the details that help us understand their
characteristics and determine their distance.
And, at billions of
light-years away, we see these galaxies as they were billions of years
ago. These spectra are information gleaned from across both space and
time, which led the artist Tim Otto Roth to name his laser presentation
“From the Distant Past.” As he puts it, these graphs are “minimalist
representations of some of the most distant objects in the universe.”
To
an astronomer, it’s refreshing to insert spectra into the
image-dominated public conversation about astronomy. Hubble science
greatly depends on spectra to provide vital information about our
universe, yet it is hard to present adequately in a press release. When
you look at this laser exhibit, see past the green squiggles, and
recognize spectra: the unsung hero of Hubble discoveries.
Habel to visit website click here
