Of Celestial Origins

In a display case by the entrance to this gallery are several samples from Canadian mines, including gold, silver, and a rarity called weloganite- appropriate to be here, as it's named after William Logan, founder of the Geological Survey of Canada.

Close by is a set of panels focused on a rock brought back from the Moon by the Apollo missions.

The universe as we know it started with the Big Bang, and that is explored here.

Numerous samples of meteorites are on hand here. These rocks that fall to Earth are pivotal in helping us understand how the solar system came to be.

This large meteorite is part of the Canyon Diablo meteorite- the asteroid that impacted Arizona some fifty thousand years ago and created Meteor Crater.

Much more recently, this is from the Buzzard Coulee meteorite, which went down in the Canadian Prairies in 2008 and created quite an impression on the country.

1.8 billion years ago, a meteorite some ten kilometers wide crashed into the area of what is now Sudbury, Ontario. These pieces are remnants of that.

The Earth Gallery

I begin today within the atrium at the Museum of Nature, looking out into the Queens Lantern at the Moon.

More of Gaia. As it slowly rotates, you can take your time looking at things- such as how big the Sahara really is.

Much of eastern North America is under cloud on this depiction.

But you can get a good look at the heart of the continent.

The Earth Gallery is the next space in the museum, and the first thing the visitor sees are examples of the three main types of rock- sedimentary, metamorphic, and magmatic rocks 

A video screen shows various rock formations- or rock forming, as you will.

Moon And Gaia

I continue on today, with two more shots taken from within the Arctic Gallery.

Stepping out, I looked up at the scale model of the Moon that occupies the Queens Lantern.

Looking through the glass walls gives us views around to the north, east, and west. This structure, as modern as it is, seems to work well with the more traditional style of the building.

More of the Moon.

Gaia hangs inside the central atrium.

Arctic Lives

 I begin today with this parka coat by Taqralik Partridge, in collaboration with family, rich with cultural influence as the accompanying panels note.

These photographs are by Lucasi Kiatanaq, depicting scenes of the Arctic.

Beyond, more scenes of the Far North are projected onto screens.