Stardust Lab
Sponsorship Opportunities
Be a Part of the New Astronomy Discovery Center
The Stardust Lab centers around the burning questions asked by Lowell Observatory visitors. Questions like “where are we” and “how did we get here” can be answered through many methods (art, math, spirituality). The Stardust Lab helps visitors experience the many ways scientists seek answers about the cosmos. Visitors will leave feeling more connected to and curious about the Universe. See the list below for exhibits you can sponsor.
Now is the time to leave your mark on this new facility and help us inspire visitors of all ages.
For more information contact Sherry Shaffer at (928) 714-7777 or sshaffer@lowell.edu.
Sponsorship Opportunities
Send Your Message
If you could talk to intelligent beings from the Universe, what would you tell them? This exhibit gives visitors the chance to beam their messages into space. Visitors can also listen to messages from scientists, Indigenous elders, children, and more.
$50,000
Up Close and Personal
What does it take to plan a mission to another world? The two stations at this exhibit will guide visitors as they craft their own space mission. Once they decide what they want to learn and see what it takes to get there, visitors will launch their mission and follow its progress.
$40,000
Planetary League
You’ve never seen the planets like this! The Planetary League includes The Rockies, The Giants, The Dwarves, and The Exos. Visitors will flip panels that are like playing cards to see the “stats” of different planets.
$25,000
Organics in Space
How can you explore space with your nose?! Visitors will sample different smells and use clues to guess what they are encountering. As they uncover the answer, visitors will learn not only the molecule they were smelling, but where it is found and how we detect it.
$25,000
Mixing Wavelengths
Visitors will play with different ways of looking at objects in the Universe. This exhibit shows that there is more to the spectrum than visible light, for example Jupiter viewed through radio wavelengths will show where bursts of energy are produced in the atmosphere.
$20,000
Everything Spins
What is the best way to learn about angular momentum and star formation – by spinning around in a chair! This exhibit’s props and prompts will invite visitors to explore the forces that change angular momentum and how astronomers observe these reactions in space.
$20,000
Collapsing Clouds
Part of knowing how we got here is understanding that our solar system was once in a cloud of gas and dust. Here, visitors will play with a simulation of the solar system forming and see real images of objects at various points in the process.
$20,000
Interactive Light
This incredible 13-foot-tall column of light will draw visitors in to discover connections between science and art. Not only are the spinning colored lights beautiful to look at, visitors can interact with the exhibit by selecting from different patterns on a touch screen.
CLAIMED
Where Have Your Atoms Been
One of the most compelling ideas that explores our connection to the Universe is that the atoms in our body are only borrowed. This exhibit’s full-body projection allows visitors to select one of the atoms in their body and explore its potential history going back billions of years.
CLAIMED
Transit Detection
Visitors will set planets into motion around a star in this model solar system or orrery. A sensor attached to a monitor will display the change in brightness when an object passes in front of the star, exactly as astronomers do as they hunt for new exoplanets!
CLAIMED
Quest for Answers
Astronomy is one of many tools humans use to find answers about the meaning of life. This exhibit reveals stories of how art, religion, science, and culture have helped our quest for answers, from Hopi creation stories to Emily Dickinson poetry and much more.
CLAIMED
Meteorite Tracker
Meteor showers are fascinating to see and this exhibit reveals the science behind these magical events. Visitors will track real meteorites using Lowell astronomer data and they can play with meteor orbits to simulate a meteor shower or even a collision with Earth!
CLAIMED
Touching Other Worlds
What would it feel like to touch another planet? This exhibit invites visitors to touch 3D replicas of different bodies in the Universe. They will discover smooth areas, craters, mountains, and more features that give clues about the kind of celestial body they are exploring.
CLAIMED
Spectroscopy
How is it that light can give us information about objects so far away from Earth? This exhibit allows visitors to look at light the way an astronomer does – through spectra! Visitors will examine different light sources and their spectral lines using a diffraction grating.
CLAIMED
Gravity Warp
Visitors of all ages will enjoy playing with gravity on the projected star field. The field will bend and distort to reflect the presence of mass. As visitors move around, celestial objects projected on the field will alter their paths in response to the gravitational well.
CLAIMED
SETI Signals
Visitors will be invited to listen to a mystery signal from space. Is it man made or… something else? This exhibit will use real and simulated signals from space to demonstrate how scientists decipher this kind of information.
CLAIMED
Sonify the Universe
This exhibit allows visitors to explore the Universe with their senses. Based on software from the Chandra Observatory, visitors use a touch screen to explore a hidden image. Different parts of the image emit different tones when touched until the underlying image is revealed.
CLAIMED
Eyes on Exoplanets
Exoplanet studies are one of the most exciting and rapidly growing fields in astronomy. Visitors will use NASA’s Eyes on Exoplanets database to discover the variety of exoplanets identified in our galaxy and learn more about their characteristics.
CLAIMED
Challenging Views
Centuries of scientific advancement are peppered with mistakes and dead-ends – that’s part of the process! This exhibit will display short animated loops that highlight connections between ideas and how our understanding of the Universe has changed.
CLAIMED
Parting Message
The final mural will frame visitors’ experience, leaving them with questions to fuel their curiosity about their place in the Universe.
CLAIMED
Welcome Mural
An expansive entry mural will inspire visitors to consider their connection to the Universe. The mural’s imagery and quotes will provoke thoughts of where we are, how we know, and are we alone.
CLAIMED