Saturn Science and Art


Saturn Science and Art Flyer Out-of-This-World Opportunities!

Johnson Museum Saturn Exhibition Dates: September 20, 2008 - January 4, 2009

The NASA Cassini Spacecraft - orbiting Saturn since 2004 - continues to send back astonishing images of the planet, rings, and moons. A select group of breathtaking images* are on exhibit at the Johnson Museum of Art on the Cornell University campus until January 4, 2009.

TST BOCES, the Johnson Museum of Art, the Center for Radiophysics & Space Research, and the NASA Spacecraft Planetary Imaging Facility announce a special field trip opportunity for grades 3-9 to visit the exhibition and the Space Sciences Building on campus.

School Field Trips:


Dates: Tuesdays - Fridays
September 16 - October 31, 2008

Cost: $1.50 fee per student (aidable through TST BOCES)
Time: 10am-noon or noon-2pm for classes (two hours total: one hour at each site)
Special arrangements can be made for after-school groups (museum closes at 5pm)
Limit: Two classes per time period
To Register: Call the Johnson Museum at 607-255-6464
Learning Focus: At the Space Sciences Building students will learn about the history of solar system exploration and what we have learned from robotic spacecraft missions, focusing on Saturn. At the museum, students will explore the exhibition using guided looking and writing activities.

Teacher Open House

  • A Teacher Open house is scheduled for October 28 from 3:30-5pm at the Johnson Museum. Join a Cassini scientist, Cornell outreach coordinators, and other teachers at the museum for informal conversation about Saturn and the Cassini mission, a tour of the exhibit, and free educational resources (posters, CDs, etc).

    Facade Projections

    A facade projection of images from Saturn will be seen on the east side of the Johnson Museum from sunset until 11:00pm October 2-26.

    Special Opportunities

    during the American Astronomical Society Division for Planetary Sciences National Conference in Ithaca - Oct. 11-14, 2008
    Including school visits on October 14. See Conference Flyer for more information.
    To learn about the Solar System and how science is practiced in the real world…

    Conference Flyer

    Conference website

  • Saturday, October 11, 11 - 1 - Ask an Astronomer Day at the Johnson Museum of Art on the Cornell campus. Talk to astronomers (from 11-1) in the galleries about the spectacular photographs of Saturn and create some planetary art at this family event held in conjunction with the American Astronomical Society Division for Planetary Sciences National Conference.
  • Sunday, October 12 - noon - 5pm - Astronomy Day at the Ithaca Sciencenter, including an outdoor walking tour of the Sagan Planet Walk with planetary scientists
  • Monday, October 13, noon - 2pm - Family Open House at the exhibit hall (Barton Hall) with presentations and activities for youth groups and families
  • Tuesday, October 14, 3:30 - 4:30 - Young Women in Science at Boynton Middle School with presenters and/or activities geared toward encouraging girls interested in science.
  • Tuesday, October 14, 10am - 1pm - Local school groups can visit the exhibit hall (Barton Hall) to see how science is practiced in real-life and the importance of communication between scientists - special presentations for classrooms by planetary scientists.
    For more details or reservations (required) for Tuesday school group visits

    November 6 Lecture at the Johnson Museum

    On Thursday, Nov. 6 at 5:15, Joe Burns, the Irving Porter Church Professor of Engineering and Professor of Astronomy, will provide insight into the incredible images in the Spectacular Saturn exhibition.

    Instructional Materials

    To learn more about instructional materials for science curriculum integration, contact Nancy Schaff at nancys@astro.cornell.edu or Browse Outreach Resources

    * The exhibit displays spectacular images of the planet Saturn, its rings, and its satellites. This selection, made by Cornell members of the Cassini mission, was made from almost 200,000 images that have been transmitted to Earth since the Cassini spacecraft arrived at Saturn in 2004. It also includes a few images taken by the companion Huygens lander that parachuted through the dense atmosphere to the surface of Saturn's intriguing moon, Titan. The stunningly beautiful images were chosen to emphasize the dynamic nature of the system and the interactions of moons and rings, as well as to explore Titan and Enceladus, two satellites with environments that might be hospitable to life.

    AMNH Saturn Exhibition

    Saturn: Images from the Cassini-Huygens Mission, an exhibition of over 50 spectacular photographs captured by NASA's Cassini orbiter and the European Space Agency's Huygens lander, opened Saturday, April 26, at the American Museum of Natural History. On view in the IMAX Corridor on the first floor through March 29, 2009, the exhibition features dramatic up-close photographs of the ringed planet and it's multitude of moons, ranging from small individual images to large mosaics, sent over half a billion miles by the Cassini spacecraft to Earth. The exhibition is guest co-curated by Joseph Burns, Professor of Astronomy at Cornell University.

    The exhibit currently displayed at the Johnson Museum of Art will travel next to the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

    Contacts

    Carol Hockett, Johnson Museum of Art
    Nancy Schaff, Center for Radiophysics & Space Research

    The Johnson Museum of Art

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    Saturn Field Trip2.pdf624.92 KB
    DPS Flyer.pdf1.04 MB
    Saturn08WkshpFlyer2.doc54.5 KB