Goddard Space Flight Cntr. Exhibits Face-To-Face Showcase Of The Sun
GREENBELT, Md. (WJZ)— Taking hard science and making it into a memorable experience, isn't always possible, but not all science has the sun taking a star turn.
As Alex DeMetrick reports, NASA's done just that at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt.
It is the cauldron of creation--a force not fully understood, but not for lack of probing by NASA scientists, but could the sun be art?
"It's less of a message and more of a feeling. There's this really wonderful feeling of calm," said Genna Duberstein, Multimedia Producer.
At NASA's Goddard Space Flight Visitor's Center the public will judge for themselves, in the new Solarium.
"I think it does give you a scale for how big, how overwhelming, how powerful it is," said Dr. Alex Young, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
And what it sounds like...or at least what the sun's vibrations sound like when run through computers. Multimedia Producer Genna Duberstein knew she had great images to work with, the sound was a bonus.
"I just thought it was amazing. It reminds me of a car going by with the windows up, and a rally loud bass. Something, you can just really feel it," said Duberstein.
Feeling the sun's impacts on earth drives much of the science. Sunspots signal the potential for violent eruptions of energy which show up as northern lights when they arrive here and threaten the instruments aboard orbiting satellites and electric power grids on the ground, that keep us out of the dark.
When it comes to stars, night skies filled with dots of light is the image that most comes to mind, but up close.
"Actually that is just like our sun, and all the detail, all that activity is happening exactly the same way as the little specs in the sky throughout the universe," said Young.
The new solarium at Goddard's Visitor Center opened today and will be permanent exhibit.
