Cosmic Journey
Journey with us from the sun to the stars and beyond
Looking up, wondering what’s beyond, and exploring the mysteries of the cosmos have been human pursuits for thousands of years. This urge to know more continues, inspiring exploration, creativity, and scientific advancement. Join us on a cosmic journey that takes us from our closest star, the sun, to the far reaches of the universe with events and virtual resources from across the Smithsonian.
Wonder & Awe
This Smithsonian guide features stories and activities that connect us to our “place in space” through the lenses of art, culture, history, and science. The sky belongs to everyone—from the women who mapped the universe over a century ago, to the astronomers who captured the first picture of a black hole, to the artists who inspire us with celestial connections.
Our Closest Star and Planetary Neighborhood
The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) was established in 1890 as a research unit of the Smithsonian concentrating on studies of solar radiance. Today SAO's areas of research include virtually all branches of astrophysics as well as areas of earth and planetary sciences. Learn about the tool SAO built to probe the sun as it makes its closest approach to the sun in 2024. The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum is also a home for Earth and planetary research and shares a wealth of information on our solar system and its history.
Smithsonian Collection Spotlight
Our Star: Our Sun
Smithsonian Story
A Solar Probe Is on Its Way to Touch the Sun
The journey will culminate in 2024 with its closest ever approach of 3.83 million miles.
National Air and Space Museum
Our Solar System
National Air and Space Museum
How Did We Discover the Planets?
Our Universe
The Smithsonian has been answering big questions about our atmosphere and beyond for more than a century at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. We continue to ask and answer questions through original research at the National Air and Space Museum and the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian (CfA). Key areas of research at the CfA include exoplanets, the sun and solar weather, asteroids and comets, and "The Extreme Universe" that includes the study of black holes, pulsars, supernovae, white dwarfs, neutron stars, and magnetars.
Around the Smithsonian
Mysteries of the Universe
Smithsonian Story
Meet Chandra
You most likely have heard of the Hubble Space Telescope that orbits 332 miles above Earth, but what about Chandra?
Models of Images Taken by Chandra
Explore 3D models of stars at various stages of the stellar life cycle, created using images generated by the Chandra X-ray Observatory.
Smithsonian Story
A “Monster” in the Milky Way Galaxy
Two new studies have produced the first polarized light image of the supermassive black hole at the heart of the Milky Way.
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
DIY Planet Search
Smithsonian Story
Four Amazing Chandra Instagram Experiences
Bring these cosmic objects into your home with new augmented reality effects.
Smithsonian Story
Ten Amazing New Images of Space
Never-before-seen images offer new ways of understanding our universe.
Culture and the Cosmos
The Smithsonian’s resources lead us to connections across historical contexts, art movements, and cultural traditions to help us understand our place within space.
National Air and Space Museum
Science Fiction
The Cosmic Buddha
Explore a 3D rendering of the Cosmic Buddha, where you can zoom into depictions of a symbolic map of the Buddhist world.
National Museum of African Art
Milky Way Myth
Among the hunter-gatherers of sub-Saharan Africa known as the Khoisan, a myth has been passed on for generations.
Afrofuturism
From artists to astronauts, the themes of Afrofuturism inform ways of seeing and being across time and space.
Maya Skies: Calendars, Seasons, and Time
The cycles of celestial bodies, particularly the Sun, form the basis of the Maya calendar. Celestial events on the Mayan calendar have been celebrated from ancient times to today.
National Air and Space Museum
Barbie: An Astronaut for the Ages
Human Spaceflight
In April 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space. Soon after in May 1961, Alan Shepard became the first American in space, when he piloted the Mercury spacecraft Freedom 7 on a suborbital flight. In July of 1969, the first human stepped on the surface of the Moon. The cosmic journey continues today with the International Space Station and developments in commercial spaceflight.
Sidedoor Podcast
Space Jocks & Moon Rocks
Sidedoor joins forces with the National Air and Space Museum to explore the mysteries of lunar science.
Smithsonian 3D
Neil Armstrong's Space Suit
Cosmic Collections
Explore space through the lenses of art, history, culture, and science in the Smithsonian's collections.
