Our Planet On the Big Screen: New Museum Exhibition Explores Ever-Changing Earth from Space and on the Ground

The Smithsonian partners with NASA to present the Earth Information Center, a larger-than-life display that visualizes interconnected changes on the planet

Jack Tamisiea

October 17, 2024

The museum's newest exhibition, “NASA’s Earth Information Center at the National Museum of Natural History.” James Di Loreto, Smithsonian Institution

This month, the National Museum of Natural History opened “NASA’s Earth Information Center at the National Museum of Natural History,” a new exhibition that gives museum visitors a dynamic view of how the planet is changing from both space and the ground.

The centerpiece of the show is NASA’s Hyperwall, a state-of-the-art 32-foot-long, 12-foot-high curved video wall presenting awe-inspiring visualizations of Earth. On the mammoth screen, the forces and processes that are constantly shaping the planet come to life: ocean currents pulsate, ice sheets retreat and greenhouse gasses swirl.

None — A NASA model illustrates how the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide moves through Earth’s atmosphere. NASA

These dramatic displays are created with data captured by satellites and sensors monitoring Earth and reveal how natural forces, climate change and human activities continuously alter the planet.

“In addition to exploring the cosmos, Smithsonian and NASA researchers analyze how our own planet is changing in real time,” said Kirk Johnson, the Sant Director of the National Museum of Natural History. “It is a tremendous honor to partner with NASA to bring this dynamic view of Earth to museumgoers and connect people more deeply with their home planet.”

Researchers at both the Smithsonian and NASA have spent decades studying how the Earth works. But they often look at the planet from different vantage points. Smithsonian researchers take a boots-on-the-ground approach, studying ecosystems and geological processes up close in the field or through museum collections. NASA scientists often zoom out for a view of the entire planet, using satellites and other sensors to create a detailed snapshot of the Earth from space.

This space-based perspective helped launch NASA’s Earth Information Center (EIC). Building on data collected by NASA and other federal agencies, the EIC provides a live look at Earth’s conditions by tracking factors like global temperature, precipitation, sea level rise and the atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses. This information helps policy makers, researchers and communities understand and respond to the impacts of climate change, biodiversity loss and natural disasters.

“NASA is a climate agency,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “With our fleet of over two dozen Earth-observing satellites and instruments, NASA leverages our unique vantage point in space to observe our planet and help those on the ground take action.” Nelson believes the new exhibition at the museum will help bring EIC’s data to even more people — a boon for earthlings interested in understanding their planet.

NASA’s satellites collect data that is not only vast but also detailed, and NASA scientists and engineers have developed exciting ways to make these extensive datasets easily digestible as well as visually dazzling. Utilizing the Hyperwall, the EIC displays its data through colorful visualizations and striking imagery. These displays capture a constantly changing Earth by modeling weather patterns, mapping the spread of wildfires and the melting of ice sheets.

In addition to data visualizations, the Hyperwall also will play rotating short-form videos that highlight how researchers and stakeholders around the planet are using this data to tackle environmental issues. One such video explores how the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute scientists utilize GPS collars and satellite data to monitor efforts to reintroduce the scimitar-horned oryx, a desert-dwelling antelope that was long extinct across its native range in northern Africa. The video also presents how the Jane Goodall Institute has used similar satellite data to create a habitat map for chimpanzees and support habitat recovery across central Africa.

Another video focuses on long-term efforts by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute’s Forest Global Earth Observatory (ForestGEO) network to track forest cover by co-leading GEO-TREES, a consortium of established forest inventory networks around the world. Dense patches of forests absorb carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere; ForestGEO and GEO-TREES's measurements can be used to help calibrate efforts to monitor carbon storage and sinks with satellites in space. More short-form videos will be added to the Hyperwall display while the exhibit is on view at the museum.

In addition to the Hyperwall, museumgoers will have the opportunity to explore exhibit information panels and interact with touchscreen displays. One interactive display allows visitors to track the route of NASA satellites as they collect data on Earth. A model of one such satellite, NASA’s Surface Water and Ocean Topography satellite, will hang above the exhibition.

The exhibition will remain on view through 2028.

Jack Tamisiea | | READ MORE

Jack Tamisiea is a Science Communications Specialist at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. In addition to covering all things natural history for the museum's blog, Smithsonian Voices, he tracks media coverage and coordinates filming activities for the museum's Office of Communications and Public Affairs. Jack recently completed his masters in science writing at Johns Hopkins University and his writing has appeared in the New York Times, Scientific American, National Geographic and other science-focused publications. In his free time, he loves exploring the outdoors with a sketchbook and camera. You can read more of Jack's work at https://jacktamisiea.com.