At The Museum

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope traveling exhibit, originally developed in partnership between NASA and the Smithsonian Institute Traveling Exhibit team, has toured the country for over two decades. Continually enhanced with new technology and the most recent science, the exhibit offers visitors a vibrant overview of a mission that changed our understanding of the Universe. Are you interested in seeing or having the exhibit at your venue?

Quick Facts

In its 20 years of traveling the country, the Hubble exhibit has visited almost half (24 in all) of the states in the union.

The Hubble Traveling Exhibit station that tells the story of our solar system and its planets is on display at a science center

Since its creation, the Hubble traveling exhibit has been installed in 40 science centers, museums, and planetariums.

The center piece of the Hubble traveling exhibit can be seen with its spacecraft model and illuminated sphere of the earth.
View of from within the tunnel of the Hubble exhibit. Illuminated Hubble images of galaxies and stars overhead, individual objects along the walls. Hubble Space Telescope model at the end of of the tunnel. Large illuminated Eagle Nebula image beyond.
The entrance to the Hubble traveling exhibit as seen during its display at the INFINITY Science Center in Pearlington, MS
NASA/GSFC M. Henderson

The Hubble Space Telescope: New Views of the Universe traveling exhibit is a 2,200-square-foot exhibit that immerses visitors in the magnificence and mystery of Hubble's mission and introduces the James Webb Space Telescope. The exhibit features a scale model of the Hubble Space Telescope as well as several “satellite” units (stations) that offer visitors a hands-on experience with the same technology that allows Hubble to gaze at distant galaxies. These units also feature Hubble's contributions to the exploration of planets, stars, galaxies, and the universe. Exhibit patrons will learn about Hubble's various instruments and the role that each one plays in providing exciting new images and discoveries. Visitors also get a glimpse of the various hurdles Hubble faced in its career and discover the role that astronauts played in repairing and servicing the observatory. The exhibit showcases Hubble's iconic images and data of planets, galaxies, regions around black holes, and many other fascinating cosmic entities that have captivated scientists for centuries. Experience the life and history of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope through this stunning interactive exhibit.

Hubble Space Telescope: New Views of the Universe is provided free of charge to any organization willing to share in the splendors of its discoveries. Please note: due to the exhibit's size and setup time, venues must keep the exhibit on display for a minimum of 3-4 months.

NASA/GSFC P. Morris

Exhibit Stations

The exhibit incorporates numerous stations that cover science, astronaut servicing missions, and telescope design. Included are stations that provide hands-on interactive experiences to understand solar power, thermal protection, wavelengths of light, and discoveries. Learn about each station and its contents.

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A visitor center guest stands with his hands in two tubes, one with thermal insulation and one without, to understand how temperature is controlled on the spacecraft
A visitor uses a Hubble Traveling Exhibit interactive station to learn how the spacecraft is thermally protected from the intense heat of the sun and the cold of outer space.
INIFINTY Science Center

Specifications

Venues interested in the exhibit must meet certain floor space and power requirements. The typical layout results in a square footprint. However, the flexibility of the exhibit allows for custom orientations. Find out more about the specifications and exhibit space needs.

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An engineering diagram of the traveling exhibit layer out in the standard square formation, as seen from the top down
The standard layout for the Hubble Traveling Exhibit is a square that can be reconfigured.
NASA and the Smithsonian Institute Traveling Exhibits

Assembly

The Hubble traveling exhibit is a complex system that requires expertise to assemble, take down, and pack up. A team from NASA works with a venue's staff to complete all work necessary to make the exhibit ready for public viewing. See a time-lapse video of the installation process.

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A birds eye view of a team of technicians putting together the Hubble traveling exhibit.
The Hubble traveling exhibit being installed at the Aerospace Museum of California.
NASA/GSFC M. Henderson

Request Exhibit

Is your venue interested in sponsoring the exhibit? Learn who can request the exhibit, the agreement for such sponsorship, and contact information.

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The HST Traveling Exhibit layout and stations as seen from a balcony.
The Hubble traveling exhibit on display at the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh, PA
NASA/GSFC M. Henderson

FAQs

After being installed more than 40 times, many questions about the exhibit, its physical requirement, qualified venues, and the display agreements were asked. We have compiled the most common questions and their answers on this FAQ page.

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A HUbbe Team member explains the wavelengths of light to visitors at an interactive light station that is part of the Hubble traveling exhibit.
Maurice Henderson of the Hubble Space Telescope Project explains the wavelengths of light that the telescope observes with a traveling exhibit interactive light station at the INFINITY Science Center
INFINITY Science Center

Where is the Traveling Exhibit?

A 3-foot sphere is illuminatedabove the centerpiece station with the earth projected onto it.

Current Venue

Cape Fear Museum – Wilmington, NC

A model of Hubble sits in the middle of a round station with a backlit semi-circle panel describing the spacecraft and the mission's history

Coming July 2024

Museum of Arts and Sciences – Macon, GA

Past Locations

Originally developed by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) in partnership with NASA, the exhibit toured for five years under their management and then was continued under NASA’s stewardship. The following venues are past hosts of the Hubble Traveling Exhibit:​

  • Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum, Chicago, IL
  • Aerospace Museum of California, McClellan, CA
  • Arizona Museum of Natural History, Meza, AZ
  • Buffalo State University Planetarium, Buffalo, NY
  • Carnegie Science Center, Pittsburgh, PA 
  • Chabot Space and Science Center, Oakland, CA
  • Challenger Space Science Center, Peoria, AZ
  • Cradle of Aviation Museum, Garden City, NY
  • Cranbrook Academy Institute for Science Museum, Bloomfield Hills, MI
  • Danville Science Museum, Danville, VA
  • Discovery Museum, Bridgeport, CT
  • East Kentucky Science Center & Planetarium, Prestonsburg, KY
  • El Paso Museum of History, El Paso, TX
  • Family Museum of Arts and Science, Bettendorf, IA
  • Florida International Museum, St. Petersburg, FL
  • Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, Fort Worth, TX
  • History Museum of Mobile, Mobile, AL
  • Imagination Station, Toledo, OH
  • INFINITY Science Center, Pearlington, MS
  • International Museum of Art and Science, McAllen, TX
  • Kalamazoo Air Zoo, Aerospace & Science Museum, Portage, MI
  • Kirby Science Discovery Center, Sioux Falls, SD
  • Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, AZ
  • McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center, Concord, NH 
  • Miami Museum of Science, Miami, FL
  • Minnetrista Cultural Center, Muncie, IN
  • Mount Wilson Observatory, Pasadena, CA
  • Museum of Science and Technology (MOST), Syracuse, NY
  • NASA Space Center Houston, Houston, TX
  • NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center - Visitor Center, Greenbelt, MD
  • NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Titusville, FL
  • NASA's Wallops Flight Facility - Visitor Center, Wallops Island, VA
  • National Soaring Museum, Elmira, NY
  • New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, Albuquerque, NM
  • North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, NC
  • Ocean Explorium, New Bedford, MA
  • Preston Art Center, Henderson, KY
  • Science Central, Fort Wayne, IN
  • Science Museum of Virginia, Richmond, VA       
  • SciPort, Shreveport, LA
  • South Carolina State Museum, Columbia, SC           
  • South Carolina State University Planetarium, Orangeburg, SC  
  • Space Center Houston, Houston, TX
  • Springfield Science Museum, Springfield, MA
  • State Historical Society, Bismark, ND 
  • Strategic Air and Space Museum, Ashland, NE
  • The Historical Society of Saginaw County and the Castle Museum, Saginaw, MI
  • Union Station, Kansas City, MO
  • United States Space and Rocket Center, Huntsville, AL
  • University of Michigan Exhibit Museum, Ann Arbor, MI
  • Virginia Air and Space Center, Hampton, VA
  • Washington County Museum, Washington, OR
  • William Laman Library, North Little Rock, AK
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Visitors walk through the Hubble Traveling Exhibit

More Things Hubble

nearly spherical gathering of white stars at center top. Blue gas cloud extends from top left to center bottom

Hubble Science Highlights

Hubble’s most notable scientific discoveries reflect the broad range of research and the breakthroughs it has achieved.

Upper left: "Hubble Focus" opening of the telescope is the "O" Center: bright-white star, Center Bottom: Orange-red planet with cloud bands, Center: small, bright-white star and very small red-orange dwarf star

Hubble E-books

Investigate the mysteries of the universe with Hubble. Learn Hubble's history. E-books dive deeper into Hubble discoveries and more.

Hubble Observatory - Diagram

Observatory Design

Hubble is the first space-based observatory specifically designed for servicing while in orbit. Learn more about its systems and design.

Two astronauts service Hubble, one standing in the space shuttle cargo bay and one attached to a robotic arm, with the Earth in the background in the upper half of the picture.

Hubble Timelines

Follow Hubble's journey from an idea of a "Large Space Telescope" to its position as one of the most scientifically productive and beloved telescopes of all time. Also follow its timelines of discoveries and servicing missions.

A white-spotted whale shark swims in a blue ocean.

Impact & Benefits

Hubble's mission is to capture observations of the universe, but its technology would alter life on the ground in unique and unexpected ways.

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