May 13, 2022

MoAW

presents

STARSCAPE

A Journey To The Beginning Of Time

KITT PEAK NATIONAL OBSERVATORY,

Tucson Arizona.

4-Meter Telescope on the summit.

June 4, 1972.

One minute exposure. Copyright 1972 Gary Ladd.

This spectacular collection of 33 space photographs combines breathtaking digitalized images from the historic Mariner, Viking, and Voyager probes with stunning photographs from the Apollo lunar missions and ground-based observatories. Gathered from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the California Institute of Technology, the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, Hubble Telescope, and the Hansen Planetarium, this awesome display of cosmic spectacles is a journey to the very beginning of time.

EARTH.

Apollo 13 (AS13-60-8588) photograph taken in 1970.

The southwest part of North America is visible.

Courtesy of Mapping Science Laboratory

The third rock from the sun, Earth’s nickname derives from a popular TV series that aired from 1996 to 2001. In fact, Earth is the only planet not named for a Greek or Roman god or goddess. “Earth” is a word of Germanic origin that simply means “the ground,” and was given to our home planet only about 1000 years ago.

Earth has a very hospitable temperature and mix of chemicals that have made life abundant here. Most notably, Earth is unique in that most of our planet is covered in liquid water. Earth's vast oceans provided a place for single-celled organisms to form about 3.8 billion years ago, contributing oxygen to our atmosphere and eventually differentiating into the millions of lifeforms we know today from the fossil record and from our own observation.

The ongoing effects of climate change – primarily due to human-caused overutilization and alteration of some of the features of our planet that make it so successful for sustaining life, such as widespread deforestation and overdependency on fossil fuels - pose a threat to the nature of life itself on Mother Earth.

SATURN WITH SIX MOONS.

Voyager I photographic Montage – Satellites

(clockwise from lower right) are: Dione, Enceladus, Rhea, Titan, Mimas, and Tethys. Photograph courtesy NASA/JPL.

With thousands of beautiful ringlets, Saturn is unique among the planets. It is not the only planet to have rings – made of chunks of ice and rock – but none are as spectacular or as complicated as Saturn's, with seven rings and several gaps and divisions between them.

Like fellow gas giant Jupiter, Saturn is a massive ball made mostly of hydrogen and helium. Saturn has 53 known moons with an additional 29 moons awaiting confirmation of their discovery—for a potential total of 82 moons.

THE CRAB NEBULA (M1) IN TAURUS.

Photographed with the 26-inch Crossley Reflector at Lick Observatory.

Copyright Regents, University of California.

Lick Observatory photograph.

A nebula is an enormous cloud of dust and gas occupying the space between stars and acting as a nursery for new stars. From the Latin term nebula, which means “mist, vapor, fog, smoke, exhalation” nebulae are made up of dust, basic elements such as hydrogen, and other ionized gases. They either form through clouds of cold interstellar gas and dust or through the aftermath of a supernova.

The Crab Nebula is one of the most distinctive and well-known of all the nebulae.

HORSEHEAD NEBULA (IC 434) IN ORION ENTIRE REGION.

Photograph by David F. Malin of the Anglo-Australian observatory Board from original negatives by the U.K. Schmidt Telescope Unit.

Copyright 1980 Royal Observatory, Edinburgh.

The Horsehead Nebula is another of the most distinctive of all the nebulae. One night in July 1913, astronomer E. E. Barnard noticed that the skies above Yerkes Observatory in southern Wisconsin were crystal clear and the Midwest air was surprisingly steady.

He focused the world’s largest refracting telescope in the direction of Orion, targeting a mysterious object he’d tried to glimpse many times since his comet-hunting days decades earlier.

Barnard managed to capture a picture of the celestial object, which is still recognizable to space fans today. He had discovered the Horsehead Nebula, an object whose fame has since grown, spurred by an era of multi-billion-dollar space telescopes and advanced instruments for amateur astronomers.

CURRENT EXHIBTIONS NOW ON DISPLAY

ALL UNDER HEAVEN

Treasures of the East

Earth, Heaven,

and the Afterlife

A Very Special Gift From

Marlene and Bruce Kanter,

Heather James Fine Art

Michael H. Healy

Tianxia (天下) or, All Under Heaven is an ancient phrase used for more than three thousand years, to define the ideal of a perfect and harmonious empire in the eyes of the people.

50 original antiquities spanning millennia (3,600 B.C. to 1850 A.D.) of ancient Asian Cultures from mysterious funerary objects and life-size protective temple guardians to delicate terracotta sculptures created for the tombs of the deceased. With a tapestry of silk and gold thread, a rare lacquered cosmetic box, earthen vessels, and bronze statues, these ancient treasures from China, Japan, Indonesia, and Southeast Asia, celebrate everlasting happiness, enduring remembrance, and eternal life.

MoAW premieres these dazzling artifacts for the first time together in one exhibition All Under Heaven: Earth, Heaven, and the Afterlife.

PALEO: The Story of Life

4.6 billion years of fossil history 

Drawn from the world’s foremost fossil collections, the unprecedented treasury of fossil casts known as PALEO: The Story of Life brings together in one exhibition some of the most exciting finds in the history of paleontology from over a century of worldwide excavations, exhibited in geological, chronological order.

From 2.5 billion-year-old single cellular cyanobacteria responsible for the oxygenation of the atmosphere to the first multicellular life of 700 million years ago, PALEO: The Story of Life spans 4.6 billion years in scope. From the Precambrian to the Paleozoic Era, from the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous Periods of the Mesozoic Era to mammals and prehistoric humans of the Cenozoic Era (including the famous Lucy skeleton), this internationally acclaimed, comprehensive collection dramatically illustrates the awesome story of prehistoric life on Earth.

Displaying casts of rare fossils from the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia, this prestigious collection includes skeletons, skulls, claws, and eggs gathered from such revered museums as the Smithsonian Institution, the American Museum of Natural History, The Royal Ontario Museum, the Carnegie Museum, and the National Museums of Kenya, Ethiopia, and Tanzania, as well as many others.

Cathedral City

Historical Society

presents

Then and Now

A 40th-year anniversary exhibition of the history of Cathedral City

A comprehensive photographic and artifact-rich timeline of the history of Cathedral City will greet you upon entering the lobby of the Museum of Ancient Wonders. This is an exhibition of recollections of the people and places that created Cathedral City's early history and to celebrate the 40th anniversary of its burgeoning progress, from the past to the present, THEN AND NOW is a loving tribute to the City of Cathedral City.

On Display In Association With PALEO: The Story of Life

STARSCAPE:

A Journey To The

Beginning of Time

This spectacular collection of 33 space photographs combines breathtaking digitalized images from the historic Mariner, Viking, and Voyager probes with stunning photographs from the Apollo lunar missions, the Hubble Space Telescope, and ground-based observatories. Gathered from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the California Institute of Technology, the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, the Hansen Planetarium, and the Hubble Telescope, this awesome display of cosmic spectacles is a journey to the early days of the cosmos. 

LUCY:

The Story of Human Origins

(Courtesy of the Institute of Human Origins and

the National Museum of Ethiopia,

Addis Ababa)

On view exclusively at the

Museum of Ancient Wonders

JURASSIC WONDERS

11 Lifesize Metal Dinosaurs

Public Art Display

created by

Ricardo Breceda

MoAW presents JURASSIC WONDERS, a public art installation in association with Cathedral City displaying 11 Lifesize Dinosaurs created by renowned artist Ricardo Breceda. Divided into 4 stunning dioramas on the corner of Buddy Rogers Drive and East Palm Canyon Drive across the street from City Hall until December 31, 2022.

Become A Member of MoAW

The newest perk of membership: Free admission to more than 1,200 museums nationwide through the North American Reciprocal Museum Program (NARM) Plus, discounts at their museum shops and restaurants (if given to their members). Local museums include the Palm Springs Art Museum and Cabot's Pueblo Museum, several museums in Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco, throughout California, all 50 states, and the District of Columbia, including Canada, Mexico, and Bermuda. This is available to all members at the Donor Level ($125.00) or higher. Members who qualify will be receiving new membership cards with the NARM logo to be used at participating museums.

Current members who would like to upgrade their membership to take advantage of this new benefit please give us a call, (442) 268-5004.

Click below for more information and to join.

THANK YOU

MoAW's mission is to educate a diverse audience about the history of ancient civilizations and prehistoric life using fossils and artifacts from a variety of cultures and time periods; to enhance universal curriculum development for local and surrounding school districts, colleges, and universities, establishing museum diversity for the Coachella Valley.

Hours of Operation:

Monday - Saturday

10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Sunday 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m.



The last admission is taken one hour before closing.

Admission:

$15.00 Adults

$12.00 Students, Seniors, & Military

$ 3.00 Discount available for Coachella Valley Residents

$10.00 Group Rate for 10 or more individuals.

A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, MoAW is a member of the North American Reciprocal Museum (NARM) Association, the American Alliance of Museums, and the California Association of Museums.

MoAW IS SPONSORED BY

ART LABOE FOUNDATION, INC.