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The Making of Stars 'R' Public understanding he motivation behind our exhibit was to highlight the role of spectroscopy and Tchemistry in unravelling astronomical wonders. We aimed to show how the new dis- The making of cipline of astrochemistry is combining the clues gleaned from telescopes with sophisticated lab- oratory experiments and computer modelling to understand the evolution of chemical complex- ity to the verge of life itself. With the next gen- Stars ’R’ Us! eration of telescopes now being designed to specifically seek out the molecular markers of The team behind a successful project to broaden the understanding of life, the importance of molecules, as markers astrochemistry – Serena Viti, Wendy Brown, Martin McCoustra, Helen and progenitors for star and planet formation, is paramount. The new science of astrochem- Fraser, Nigel Mason and Robert Massey – recount how they went about it istry combines the astronomers’ need to under- and what benefits resulted. stand the chemical evolution of the universe with the chemists’ desire to investigate chemi- Abstract cal reactions in the extreme environments Say “astrochemistry” and many people and physics come together to generate found in the atmospheres of stars and in the imagine something remote, irrelevant and, exciting and cutting-edge science that helps cold, dark depths of the interstellar medium. well, pretty dull. Yet to someone working in us understand the evolution of the cosmos. The idea for the Stars ’R’ Us! exhibit was orig- inally developed by Martin McCoustra, who the field this is exciting science that delves At the 2004 Royal Society Summer then enlisted the help of the rest of the team to into the origins of life itself. Astronomical Exhibition, the leading annual showcase for create what proved to be a highly successful observations have already identified more fundamental science in the UK, we won the exhibit. The exhibit combined the frontier than 120 different molecules in space. opportunity to show to the public how such research of astronomers, chemists and physicists Chemists and astronomers are now working science is performed, in an exhibit called from Nottingham, University College London, together to understand how these molecules Stars ’R’ Us! In this article we set out how the Open University and Leiden, with the pub- are formed. But how can we probe we approached the challenge of making our lic understanding of science expertise of the reactions occurring light years from our science as interesting to members of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich. The material in labs? This is where astronomy, chemistry public as it is to us. the exhibit had to be accessible to a wide audi- ence: schoolchildren, the general public, leaders from industry and the government as well as astronomy. Astronomy has great public appeal, viewed through the spectroscopes, allowing the Fellows of the Royal Society and their guests all from the beauty of the night sky to the awe- viewer to see the distinct emission from the dif- visited the exhibition at various times during the inspiring scale of the cosmos; we hoped that by ferent atoms in the plasma. week. This fact was brought home to all of us putting our work in this context, people would Our second hands-on exhibit, Seeing the very clearly during the exhibition itself – at one appreciate what we are trying to find out. Unseen, compared images of a model inter- time we might be explaining the exhibit to a We decided that our exhibit (see figure 1) stellar cloud in the visible and in the infrared. retired couple with only a minimal knowledge should be eye-catching and should combine sci- It allowed us to demonstrate how using the of science, while the next minute we found our- entific information with hands-on experience. infrared allows us to see inside star-forming selves faced with a PhD student in astrophysics. We designed a series of posters that told the regions that appear opaque to the human eye. When designing our exhibit, the main aim was story behind the exhibit in a manner accessible To achieve this effect we used a simple Sony dig- to make a contribution to widening general sci- to a non-specialist. We also accompanied the ital camcorder, equipped with a NightShot entific literacy and supporting lifelong learning. posters with a video, telling the story of how mode that converts the camera into a near- However, at events such as the Royal Society chemistry and astronomy are coming together to infrared camera. Our astronomical object, Summer Exhibition, the public also has the rare give a better understanding of how stars form. Barnard 68, was printed onto an acetate film, opportunity to see the enthusiasm and passion The main parts of our exhibit were four behind which was located a printed circuit with which we scientists pursue our scholarship. hands-on experiments that gave visitors a board onto which the logos of our universities The Royal Society Summer Exhibition is an ideal chance to see for themselves how some of the were etched. This was then illuminated from environment in which scientists of all ages can science worked. The first exhibit, Seeing Stars, behind by an array of near-infrared light- hone their skills in communicating with the pub- illustrated how visible spectroscopy allows us to emitting diodes. Light from the diodes, trans- lic and fulfil the lifelong learning agenda. For this detect atoms and molecules in stars. We made mitted through the logos and the image of reason, we ensured that the exhibit was staffed a series of glass “stars”, containing He, Ne and Barnard 68, was only visible with the camera in throughout the period of the exhibition by a team Ar, to be viewed through a hand-held spectro- NightShot mode. Switching between the normal combining scientists of all levels from our groups scope. We gave people a series of spectra and operating mode of the camera and its NightShot in Nottingham, UCL, the Open University and asked them to identify which gas was in each mode thus allowed us to illustrate the principle Leiden, plus active science communicators from star. Almost universally, visitors were amazed of using infrared astronomy to see the unseen. the Royal Observatory in Greenwich. that it was possible to identify different ele- Reproducing Space was our third exhibit and ments so easily. This exhibit also had a plasma consisted of a simple, static ultra-high vacuum The structure of the exhibit globe, of the type often found as interactive chamber illustrating the type of experimental It was decided that the best way to make this exhibits in science museums. The plasma globe apparatus used in our laboratory surface- science accessible to as wide an audience as appeal was two-fold: it attracted visitors, who science studies. Although this exhibit was sim- possible was to show how important it is for could not help but touch it, and it could also be ple, it was highly effective as people were able 6.22 December 2004 Vol 45 Public understanding 1 (right): Stars ’R’ Us! in place at the Royal Society. As well as a series of posters, it included four hands-on exhibits: from left to right, Seeing Stars, Reproducing Space, Seeing the Unseen and Life in a Bottle. 2 (below): The exhibit proved popular throughout the week. to see the lengths to which it is necessary to go excited by a spark from a high-voltage dis- a crucial role in controlling the star cycle. in order to achieve the very low temperatures charge circuit. The chemical evolution of the We underlined how the cosmos formed from and pressures that are present in the interstellar mixture in the reaction cell was monitored in the simplest atom, H, along with small amounts medium. The chamber itself was cut away and advance of the exhibition and we presented of He and Li. Early stars took these elements we filled it with sweets. Needless to say, this these observations on materials supporting the and began the process of nuclear synthesis to move was very successful – and not only with exhibit. Although the discharge operated dur- form heavier and heavier atoms: in the first our younger visitors. ing the exhibition, the effect was illustrative hands-on exhibit, Seeing Stars, we described Our final hands-on exhibit was Life in a rather than real. how one can see this process occurring in the Bottle. This was the exhibit most modified from Sun by studying how atoms absorb and emit our original intention. We had planned to The science behind the exhibit light that is characteristic of their structure. develop this as a working Urey–Miller experi- In summary, we told a story that focused on the The spectra of stars become more complex as ment with online infrared spectroscopy to star cycle and the chemistry that controls this the star gets older and, in the infrared, we can probe the evolving liquid phase. However, con- process. The first part of the story described even see evidence for the formation of molecules siderations of electrical and chemical safety led how stars form from vast clouds of gas and dust in some stellar atmospheres. In the Seeing the us to simplify this idea considerably. A straight- and how the cosmos evolves through a contin- Unseen exhibit we showed how infrared spec- forward experimental format was designed in uous cycle of star birth, life and death. In par- troscopy allows us to see objects not observable which a water-based reaction mixture was ticular, our story stressed how chemistry plays in the visible spectrum. December 2004 Vol 45 6.23 Public understanding The next part of our story explained that in Hiden Analytical and Oxford Scientific all gave on 12 August 2004.
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