Museum of Science and Industry

EARTH REVEALED AT THE MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY

Giant Globe Shows Earth as a Living System

CHICAGO—Get an up-close and near real-time view of our planet Earth in the new Museum of Science and Industry permanent exhibit Earth Revealed. This 6-foot in diameter, solid carbon fiber globe is dramatically suspended among computers and video projectors, loaded with data sets from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The technology transforms the sphere into a dynamic, revolving globe that demonstrates the Earth as a living system. Earth Revealed is a new permanent exhibit experience at the Museum of Science and Industry.

The images projected on the globe are organized into “play lists”—allowing guests to experience a series of different “shows” about, and snapshots of, our planet.  Among the topics explored through the sphere are Earth's past and future; Earth’s place in the universe and the origin of the planets; climate, weather, currents, and geophysics; land use patterns; the human impact on the planet; and Earth as a habitat for life.  

“Earth Revealed is an amazing tool to educate our guests about the influences on our planet each and every day,” said Museum President and CEO David Mosena. “We hope it will give our guests an appreciation of the vastness, complexity—and fragility—of our world, and how and why we need to protect it.”

See Earth’s atmosphere, the flow of our ocean currents, changing cloud cover and the geophysical forces that shape the planet. Walk around the blue orb and view the effects of the Earth’s warming temperatures. See the development of deadly storms, such as Hurricane Katrina, and natural disasters, such as the deadly Asian tsunami. Observe air traffic as it criss-crosses countries. Pinpoint a week’s worth of earthquakes across the globe.

MSI staff facilitates 15-minute special presentations daily including:

CO2 and You: Learn about carbon dioxide in our atmosphere and what it has to do with you, our environment and climate change. Learn ways to reduce your carbon footprint.

Dealing with Disaster: See tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes and their impact on Earth from space and learn about how humans recover from and prevent natural disaster.

Warning: World’s Strongest Storms: Learn about the conditions that cause the most severe storms and where they are found using NOAA images and real-time weather datasets.

There’s No Place Like Home: Have you ever thought of being an astronaut? In this show you will explore our solar system and look for signs of life on other planets.

• Earth Revealed Press Release (PDF)

Earth Revealed

Photo credit: JB Spector, Museum of Science and Industry

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