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ViewSpace: Did You Know? Videos for Learners

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Image of a person placing a plate on telescope hardware takes up the majority of the screen. Text underneath the photo reads, “Installing a detector cover on the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.” Text at right reads “Did you know? Astronomy and space telescope technology advance together. Looking further into the future, how will new insights influence astronomy research priorities and shape the design of space-based telescopes?”
February 2024

About This Article

ViewSpace has been sharing the wonders of the universe with visitors to museums, libraries, planetariums, and other places of science learning through a combination of awe-inspiring visuals and in-depth science for almost two and half decades. A new set of “Did You Know?” videos has been released to illustrate how discovery and technology advance together. The videos can be seen at science centers, libraries, and more across the country—or online at ViewSpace.org.

Created by a team of scientists, educators, writers, and designers in response to commonly asked questions by ViewSpace viewers, these “Did You Know” videos answer some of the most frequently asked questions about images of space and inspire viewers to learn more about our universe.

This set of videos examines how the famous images from NASA telescopes are created, explores the way we see and think about stars, and encourages viewers to think about the future of astronomy. In “Did You Know? How Images are Made,” viewers are presented with the steps of image processing, from gathering the data and cleaning up artifacts to stacking multiple exposures to create a full-color image. “Did You Know? Diffraction Spikes” introduces viewers to the concept of image artifacts and how the design of telescopes can impact what we see. These unique telescopic "fingerprints" help viewers identify the source of images and why they look as they do as they explore NASA imagery in the future. The third video, “Did You Know? Advancements in Space-Based Astronomy,” explores how changes in telescope technology drive new discoveries in science and how those scientific discoveries encourage us to develop new technologies to answer new questions.

All three videos explore the process of science by adding in human elements and challenging viewer assumptions about what they are seeing. These short videos are designed to encourage viewers to explore more through other NASA’s Universe of Learning resources and other science materials. Links to related NASA’s Universe of Learning resources are provided to people who access the videos through ViewSpace.org in addition to the full extent of the ViewSpace Video Library and Interactives.

Watch these ViewSpace videos