The University of Colorado at Boulder's Fiske Planetarium will celebrate the International Year of Astronomy 2009 with the unveiling of two new mural-sized images taken by NASA telescopes and observatories and a talk by astronomer Luisa Rebull on Feb. 27.
The new mural-sized images of the galaxy Messier 101 taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory will be on display in the planetarium lobby starting at 7 p.m. The display is free and open to the public.
During her 7:30 p.m. talk, "Multiwavelength Astronomy," Rebull will discuss the efforts of astronomers to study the cosmos in various wavelengths of light. Admission for the talk is $6 for adults, $5 for students and $3.50 for seniors and children.
The International Year of Astronomy 2009 is a celebration of the 400th anniversary of Galileo first turning a telescope to the heavens.
"From Galileo's first spyglass, telescopes have grown ever larger and ever better, and have moved to mountain tops and to space," said Doug Duncan, director of Fiske Planetarium. "NASA's great observatories represent the achievements of astronomy four centuries later and are honoring this legacy with a national image unveiling. Fiske Planetarium was selected to present these images to the people of Colorado."
One of the images to be unveiled -- a 6-foot by 3-foot image -- shows three striking full-color images that showcase spiral galaxy Messier 101's features in the infrared light observed by the Spitzer Space Telescope, the visible light observed by the Hubble Space Telescope and the X-ray light observed by the Chandra X-ray Observatory.
The other image, a 3-foot by 3-foot image of the galaxy, combines the views from all three telescopes into a composite.
The new images will be on display in the planetarium lobby throughout 2009. For more information about Fiske Planetarium visit or call 303-492-4073.