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galaxies, griffith observatory, markarian's chain, the big picture

The Big Picture

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An Introduction to Large-Scale Structure

Markarians Chain, part of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies, as seen in The Big Picture. Courtesy of the Palomar-Quest Team, California Institute of Technology. (Click to embiggen.)
Markarian's Chain, part of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies, as seen in The Big Picture. Courtesy of the Palomar-Quest Team, California Institute of Technology. (Click to embiggen.)

One of the coolest exhibits I’ve ever seen is taking up a wall at the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, California. It’s called The Big Picture, and is a deep view of a very small region in the constellation Virgo. It was taken using the Samuel Oschin Telescope on Palomar Mountain in California.

What makes this picture amazing is that it is a single continuous digital sky image, portrayed in porcelain tiles. It has at least a million galaxies and thousands of quasars depicted in it, plus asteroids, and a comet.  The galaxies are part of the Virgo Cluster, the nearest big cluster to our own Local Group of Galaxies. Beyond them are the other galaxies, all part of the large-scale structure of the universe.

The Big Picture is the focus of today’s 365 Days of Astronomy podcast — which Mark and I produced. So, go over and check it out. I’ve also got a related page about it and the large-scale structure of the cosmos, here.

You can also see a video I’ve produced about The Big Picture as part of Astrocast.TV starting on May 1. I’ve joined the crew of Astrocast.tv to produce a monthly segment called The Astronomer’s Universe. Either way, be sure and check out this amazing image–it’ll take your breath away.

Astronomy outreach, griffith observatory

Conference Aftermath

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Astronomy for All

Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles, CA
Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles, CA

Yesterday I took some time to visit Griffith Observatory — which, as long-time readers of this blog know — is a favorite of mine for many reasons.  I wrote their exhibits and continue to work with them from time to time on new projects.  I am a member of FOTO (Friends of the Observatory), which is a wonderful support group.  And, I really like their astronomy outreach philosophy.

Walking around yesterday, listening to people talk about what they were seeing and interacting with, I was struck by how engaged they were with the exhibits and shows.  And, in several places, I stood behind groups that included several generations of family members, with the kids just as often explaining things to the parents and grandparents as the parents were to explain things to the kids.

There’ s a real love of astronomy going on at Griffith — not just among the staffers, but also very encouragingly among the many and varied visitors who make the pilgrimage up the mountain each day. There’s a reason their motto is:  Inspiring the Future,  One Imagination at a Time. If you ever get a chance, go check ’em out!