Cosmos & Culture: how astronomy has shaped our world

Cosmos & Culture covers many aspects of astronomy and its history.

The gallery is based around objects that illustrate astronomy from ancient times to the present day. A new multimedia display environment allows students to find out more about the objects, meet some of the people behind them, and explore key scientific concepts.

Themes covered in the exhibition include:

How telescopes work

Using light of different wavelengths to study the universe

Changing ideas about Earth’s place in the Solar System and the cosmos

Constellations and how these are viewed differently around the world

Searching for extraterrestrial life

Contemporary cosmological topics: general relativity and gravity waves, dark matter and dark energy

Using astronomy for timekeeping and navigation

Amateur astronomy

Astronomy in popular culture

The exhibition is supported by the Patrons of the Science Museum with additional support from the Science and Technology Facilities Council.

Cost: Free,