"From Earth to the Universe" (FETTU) is designed to bring the undeniable beauty of astronomy to the general public in a series of free showings across the country, which began with a traveling image exhibit now open at Tucson International Airport in Arizona.

FETTU is a major project of both the US and global efforts for IYA2009. With images taken from both ground- and space-based telescopes, FETTU showcases the incredible variety of astronomical objects that are known to exist: planets, comets, stars, nebulae, galaxies, clusters, and more.

FETTU is being shown in non-traditional public venues such as parks and gardens, shopping malls, metro stations, and airports in major cities across the world.

The FETTU images have been selected for their stunning beauty to engage members of the general public who might normally ignore or avoid astronomy. With short but informative captions on each panel, the goal is to introduce some basics of the science once an individual has been drawn to the image.

In the US, FETTU is being sponsored by NASA and will appear in semi-permanent installations in Atlanta and Chicago later this spring. The traveling version of FETTU, with its first stop in Tucson, will then move to Memphis in April. More FETTU locations are being planned across the US, and an enhanced schedule is being developed.

Several editions of FETTU will also be appearing in the San Francisco Bay Area beginning in May. The funding for these comes from NASA's Lunar Science Institute, the Fermi and Swift missions through Sonoma State University, and several other organizations.

Also, the NASA IYA Student Ambassador program is facilitating a FETTU exhibit in Madison, Wisc.

With NASA support, FETTU panels for the visually impaired are being prepared. The caption material for all of the images in the US collection of 50 images is available in both English and Spanish.

"It's great to see FETTU taking shape in the United States thanks, in large part, to NASA," said Kim Kowal Arcand of the Chandra X-ray Center and principal investigator for the NASA FETTU grant. "It's also amazing to see how it has taken off around the world."

With 2009 under way, FETTU is already being showcased in a variety of formats --both as physical installations and digital displays - in over 40 countries around the globe. These worldwide exhibits have been funded through a variety of local resources and are organized by each individual location.

Related Links
Full list of known FETTU exhibits
IYA2009
US plans and programs for IYA
Astronomy News from Skynightly.com

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