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All events are free and open to the public.

Guided tours or class visits of the exhibit can be arranged by calling Milne Library at (585) 245-5595 or guide yourself by listening to our downloadable podcast. A number of IPods with the guided tour podcast will also be available from the library circulation desk.

Additional exhibits:


"Rocketing into Space"


Geneseo emeritus, Dr. David Meisel taught Physics and Astronomy for 45 years, 35 at Geneseo. Among his many projects was the “Spirit Rocket” sent into outer space in May 2000. Geneseo student participation in the launch was supported by New York NASA Space Grant-Cornell, the Geneseo Physics and Astronomy Department, the Penn State Department of Electrical Engineering [ PSU Communications and Space Science Laboratory (CSSL)], The Rochester-based MARS Rocket Club and FTT Engineering of Geneseo. In addition to launch memorabilia, he shares personal historical items important in 20th century astronomy that were essential in studies leading up to the Hubble Space Telescope.

Included in this collection are:

• · Lick Atlas
• · Original spectra
• · Original pictures of C/Halley and one other taken by Allison Young at Mees Solar Observatory
• · Original Polarization images of Hubble's Variable nebula taken by Marc Lacasse at Mees Solar Observatory
• · Large scale CCD images of Hubble's Variable nebula taken with Zoran Ninkov's large format camera
• · BD atlas and charts

Ghubara Meteorite

The Ghubara meteorite was first discovered in 1954 in Oman. Found on the surface of the desert, the crust is slightly weathered, but fresh internally. This meteorite is an L5 ordinary chondrite, which is a very unusual type. Ordiary Chondrite (L5)1 black, zenolithic - 48.18 kg (106.22 lbs) - 1/2 of main mass - Olivine Clasts clearly evident.

"This meteorite is on loan courtesy of the Spacecraft Planetary Imaging Facility, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY"

Provided by SPIF

Ruled Diffraction Grating

A ruled diffraction grating is an optical element that diffracts energy into its constituent wavelengths. The groove density, depth and profile of a diffraction grating dictate the spectral range, efficiency, resolution and performance of the diffraction grating.

This display object is a small version of what was originally provided for the Hubble's spectrometer by local Rochester company, Newport. The Hubble Space Telescope uses this type of grating as part of its camera to measure distances to far away objects in deep space. Astronomers can also us this to tell how old a galaxy is by measuring the light it emits. Hubble's grating was used to see farther into deep space than ever and has helped determine when stars first started to shine about 13 billion years ago—pinning down the age of the universe!

Times have changed and technology has improved. Newport will be supplying a new part for the telescope in the 2008 upgrade mission; something known as a grism. A grating-prism (grism) is a diffraction grating with a prism glued to it at a critical alignment point that is used to measure light. The grating keeps light passing through the prism at an unchanging wavelength, while the prism breaks white light up into its constituent colors (the colors of the rainbow).


Provided by Newport Corporation

What is this Hubble telescope?

The Hubble Space Telescope has been in orbit 370 miles above the earth’s surface since April of 1990. About the size of a tractor trailer, it circles the globe every 97 minutes at an astounding 18,000 miles per hour (5 miles per second). The telescope takes photographs of deep space and sends them back to earth, shedding light on some of the questions about the universe that mankind has wondered about for centuries.

The Hubble Space Telescope has been instrumental in the advancement of astronomy. According to HubbleSite, just a few of it’s many contributions to science include revealing that the "age of the universe to be about 13 to 14 billion years, it has played a key role in the discovery of dark energy, has shown scientists galaxies in all stages of evolution, including toddler galaxies that were around when the universe was still young, helping them understand how galaxies form."

Heavens Above has been organized by the NASA Space Telescope Science Institute, the Alden B. Dow Museum of Science and Art and the Midland Center for the Arts, in Midland, Michigan



Milne Library Gallery:

Situated on the first floor of Milne Library, the gallery plays host to a number of different exhibits throughout the year from individuals on and off campus. The library staff works closely with students and faculty to showcase their art and research projects, in addition to hosting traveling exhibits. Previous exhibits have included: