Evolving Universe

A new exhibit, “The Evolving Universe,” will explore how the stars and universe undergo the same stages as life on Earth — from birth, to maturity and, eventually, to death.

This remarkable journey from present-day Earth to the far reaches of space and time will be on view at Lowell Observatory from Saturday through January 5, and will then continue to travel on an exciting 16-city tour through 2017.

This exhibition, developed by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO), the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, and circulated by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, reveals the dynamic and evolving universe through breathtaking photographs and informative captions.

Visitors to the exhibition can choose one of two paths to explore the cosmos.

They can begin close to home with our solar system and move outward to the farthest reaches of the universe. Or they can begin 13.7 billion years ago at the moment of the Big Bang and move forward in time to the present day.

Through these journeys visitors will learn how a variety of telescopes and instruments, many developed by SAO, reveal the fascinating history of the expanding universe.