The Space Sciences Department maintains a large collection of
digital images and multimedia assets for use in exhibitions,
education, research, public programs, and Space Odyssey. The Space
Sciences Department is the keeper of such valued commodities as
space images, movies, and animations that are stored in digital
form. The collection is comprised of a wide range of astronomy
topics that provide background knowledge on Earth, our solar
system, cosmology, and many more topics related to astronomy and
space science. Digital resources that have significant and
long-lasting value are cataloged and stored in the digital
collections database, along with the necessary copyright
permissions. Assets from our collection grace exhibit components,
where they offer visual interpretations and the basis for ongoing
dialogue with our visitors.
In 2001, a citizen science effort included a system
of allsky cameras, many mounted on the rooftops of schools around
the state and one atop the Museum, their purpose is to record the
appearance of bright fireballs in the night sky so that the
trajectories of the meteorites might be determined and the objects
perhaps found. In addition to helping locate fresh meteorite
falls, an allsky camera can provide valuable information about the
kind of meteors you can see on any clear night, and about annual
Through our association with Cloudbait Observatory, we
actively investigate bright fireballs, both in the interest of
determining the original orbit and also of recovering any possible
meteorites that might be produced. If you live in
Colorado or the surrounding states, and have recently seen a very
bright meteor, please report it here.
An extensive network of allsky cameras are in place to
record and supplement witness reports. If you witnessed a meteor
and are curious if it was recorded, try the real-time meteor log which lists all events
captured by the Cloudbait camera as they occur. These events are
normally processed into the main
database each morning.
A general overview of fireballs can be found here.
From the beginning, everyone who has ever had a vision for the project that became Space Odyssey agreed on one thing: that the information provided to the public be up-to-date and accurate. This is involved and difficult to do, as the Museum discovered in earlier exhibitions. But space sciences found the way during the planning stages of Space Odyssey: the Space Sciences Newsroom.
The Newsroom is a physical location, a place inside the Museum with the necessary equipment and resources, where staff and volunteers research, prepare and deliver up-to-date astronomy and space science content to the floor of Space Odyssey.
The Newsroom team includes Collections Manager, Marta Lindsay, Content Specialist, Dr. Dimitri Klebe and Newsroom Manager, Kim Evans; in addition, the two Space Sciences curators (Steve Lee and Ka Chun Yu) act in advisory, content review, and volunteer/staff training capacities as needed. They work together with the Newsroom volunteers to deliver topical and exhibit resources, ranging from spaceflight missions and science news, to astrobiology and supernova, to the importance of infrared light in the study of astronomy. This content is made available to Galaxy Guides via the Galaxy Guide Web Portal or as high resolution images and movies for the exhibit screens and interactives. Context, usage, and focus can change over time by virtue of changing gallery programming, targeted facilitation, and the flexibility of digital media. The challenge for the Newsroom team is to provide the volunteer Galaxy Guides with the resources they need to provide spontaneous and engaging conversations with Museum visitors on a daily basis.
Newsroom staff and volunteers are instrumental in supporting curator lectures and assisting with special events such as mission launches and landings, star parties and remote broadcasts, providing digital media and technical support/expertise. Newsroom staff and volunteers also respond to letters and phone calls from museum visitors, the public and local news media interested in space science topics.
The Scientific Instruments Collection at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science is composed of instruments that have been used by Museum staff members, have been part of crucial experiments involving key scientists in their pursuit of knowledge, or are excellent type-examples of particular instruments.
The collection is maintained not only for archival and research purposes, but more importantly, to educate and increase public recognition of the fundamental role that such instruments have played not only in the advancement of the current state of technology, but also in our knowledge of the natural sciences. As the Museum Scientific Collection has been developed, the emphasis has been preservation of instruments that are of particular importance to the history of science and artifacts of historical significance to the Museum. The Collection is not intended for research use per se, although many of the items included have played important roles in past research programs.
Scientists from the Space Sciences Department at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science take you "behind the stories," using the best images and animation available to help understand the latest developments.
March 2017 - Steve Lee is our presenter this month.
First, Steve brings us up to date on what's happening with the Mars' rovers. Opportunity is just outside the rim of Endeavour Crater while Curiosity is busing investigating several targets in the area known as Ogunquit Bay.
Using data from NASA's Dawn spacecraft, scientists believe the bright area of Ceres' Occator Crater is appx. 30 million years younger than the cratier in which it lies.
The Juno spacecraft recently completed its fifth close glyby of Jupiter. All of Juno's science instruments and the spacecraft's JunoCam were operating during the flyby.
Blue Origin has revealed new details of the company's reusable booster and SpaceX has announced plans to send two paying "private individuals" on a week-long flight around the moon and back by the end of next year.
In his final story, Steve shows a video by Finnish filmmaker Jan Frojdman who transformed HiRISE imagery into a dynamic, three-dimensional, overhead view of the Red Planet - no 3D glasses required
Steve Lee - Mars Rovers UpdateRuntime - 16:30
Steve Lee - Identifying Ceres' Bright SpotsRuntime - 5:56
Steve Lee - Mission Updates: JunoRuntime - 4:01
Steve Lee - Private Spaceflight UpdateRuntime - 10:13
Steve Lee - A Fictive Flight above Real MarsRuntime - 5:46
Links to Steve's stories:
Opportunity Update: Leaving Crater Rim for the Plains of Meridiani
Mars Rover Curiosity: Mission Updates
Dawn Identifies Age of Ceres' Brightest Area
NASA's Juno Spacecraft Completes Fifth Jupiter Flyby
Blue Origin details new rocket's capabilities, signs first orbital customer
SpaceX to send two private citizens around the moon and back
A Stunning Video of Mars That Took Three Months to Stitch Together-by Hand
The Space News Update is put together by volunteers and staff in the Space Sciences Newsroom. Twice a week, they review numerous space news websites to bring you the latest stories and information. Find out what to watch for in the night sky, the best time to see the International Space Station pass overhead, the Space Image of the Week, and more!
May Sky Calendar (pdf) Highlights this month's sky phenomena and celestial happenings with local dates and times (Mountain Time Zone). Free sky maps are available at www.skymaps.com.Skymaps.com produces a nice sky chart to help in locating observable celestial objects. Maps for the month ahead are available only at the end of the current month.
VENUS WINDS PROJECTVenus is a planet with a hot and dense atmosphere composed primarily of carbon dioxide. Although the wind velocity at the surface is nearly zero, at an altitude of 50-70 km, the velocity may be as high as 100 m/sec (about 200 miles/hour).The current goal of the Venus Wind Project is to determine the wind velocity (speed and direction) of clouds. Citizen scientists measure persistent cloud features from infrared images recorded at the high-altitude NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) in Hawaii.MeetingsEvery other Tuesday 6 - 8 p.m.
For more information about the Venus Winds Project contact Mark A. Bullock [firstname.lastname@example.org] To inquire about joining the Venus Winds Project contact Arthur Tarr [email@example.com]
On Monday, Aug. 21, 2017, a total eclipse will cross the entire country, coast-to-coast, for the first time since 1918. Weather permitting, the entire continent will have the opportunity to view an eclipse as the moon passes in front of the sun, casting a shadow on Earth’s surface. And plans for this once-in-a-lifetime eclipse are underway – scientists are submitting research proposals,
NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has revealed the first known system of seven Earth-size planets around a single star. Three of these planets are firmly located in the habitable zone, the area around the parent star where a rocky planet is most likely to have liquid water.
Researchers using NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have determined that frozen beneath a region of cracked and pitted plains on Mars lies about as much water as what's in Lake Superior, largest of the Great Lakes.
Space Sciences Newsroom Manager & DSS Office
Space Sciences Content Specialist firstname.lastname@example.org 303.370.6446
Space Sciences Collections Manager
Denver Astronomical Society (DAS)
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Browse the Image Archives Images from the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, documenting the museum, its history, and collections.
Denver Astronomical SocietyPublic Nights Tuesday and Thursday atDU's Historic Chamberlin Observatory Current start time is 7:30 p.m.Costs to the public are:$4.00 adults, $3.00 childrenOnline reservations