LAS VEGAS, Nov. 2, 2009 — The College of Southern Nevada Planetarium will unveil new mural-sized images of the center of our Milky Way Galaxy as never been before by all three of NASA’s Great Observatories: the Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory.

CSN will be the only place in Nevada to view the images. An unveiling ceremony open to the public will take place at 4 p.m. on Nov. 10 in the Cheyenne campus ArtSpace on the balcony above the main lobby. 

This event is part of a nationwide NASA image unveiling to commemorate the end of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 and will showcase these unprecedented images.

The International Year of Astronomy 2009 celebrates the 400th anniversary of Galileo turning a telescope to the heavens. Since Galileo's spyglass, telescopes have grown ever larger and ever better, and have moved to mountaintops and into space. NASA's Great Observatories represent the crowning achievements of astronomy four centuries later and are honoring this legacy with a spectacular national image unveiling.

The Planetarium at the College of Southern Nevada will also unveil a matched trio of Hubble, Spitzer, and Chandra images of the Milky Way’s center on a second large panel measuring 3 feet by 4 feet. Each image shows the telescope’s different wavelength view of the central region of our galaxy that illustrates not only the unique science each observatory conducts but also how far astronomy has come since Galileo.

These multi-wavelength views provide both stunning beauty and a wealth of scientific information that could not have been dreamed of by Galileo.

• Additional information about the Hubble Space Telescope is available at http://hubblesite.org/.
• Additional information about the Spitzer Space Telescope is available at http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/.
• Additional information about the Chandra X-ray Observatory is available at http://chandra.harvard.edu/.
• Additional information about NASA’s celebration of the International Year of Astronomy is available at: http://astronomy2009.nasa.gov/.

About CSN:

Founded in 1971 and educating thousands of students a semester, the College of Southern Nevada (www.csn.edu) is the state’s largest and most ethnically diverse higher education institution. CSN offers more than 200 degree and certificate options in more than 130 areas of study, including 25 degree and certificate programs available entirely online. Students create flexible, personalized schedules including day, evening and weekend classes taught on three main campuses and multiple locations throughout Southern Nevada. CSN -- Your future starts here.

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