Come celebrate with us on March 30th, 2025, as we explore the fascinating intersection of science and art. This event will shine a spotlight on a contemporary visual artist and researcher who brings to life the remarkable story and career of an early 19th-century American astronomer.
The Discovery Center is open from 10:30am-4pm, standard general admission rates apply. At 3pm in the planetarium theater, Anna Von Mertens will present the fascinating life and work of Henrietta Leavitt.
Tickets to the planetarium show are $7 each, with purchase of general admission tickets.
Discovery During The Day:
After Hours Event includes a deeper look at Henrietta Leavitt’s contributions to astronomy and how it impacted Anna Von Mertens and her work.
4:00pm: Doors Open
4:30pm: Planetarium Show: Attention is Discovery
5:00pm: Member Q&A with Anna Von Mertens, Guided Art Activity with a Kimball Jenkins art educator, Booking Signing with Anna Von Mertens (copies available for sale in the Discovery Center Science Store).
6:00pm: Discovery Center Closes
Discovery after Dark:
Thank you to our partners at Kimball Jenkins!
Pricing
Adults: $30
Seniors: $25
Students (13 - College): $15
Children: $10
Under 2: FREE
Member Adults: $20
Member Seniors: $15
Member Students (13 - College): $10
Member Children: $10
Copies of the book on sale in the Science Store! Get yours signed by the author.
Members, don’t forget to use you 25% Science Store Discount.
Our special guest is a visual artist, researcher, and author of “Attention is Discovery: The Life and Legacy of Astronomer Henrietta Leavitt”. You do not want to miss the chance to meet and learn from Anna Von Mertens!
Join us at McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center for your opportunity to immerse yourself in the story of Henrietta Leavitt and the Harvard Computers, who laid the foundation for modern cosmology at the turn of the 20th century.
Attention Is Discovery
The Life and Legacy of Astronomer Henrietta Leavitt
“Our galaxy, the Milky Way, has a diameter of about 100,000 light years—a figure we can calculate because of the work of Henrietta Leavitt (1868–1921), who spent decades studying glass plate photographs of the night sky. Visual artist and researcher Anna Von Mertens's Attention Is Discovery is a fascinating portrait of this remarkable woman who laid the foundation for modern cosmology, as well as an exploration of the power of looking and its revelatory role at the center of scientific discovery. Ushering us into the scientific community of women who worked alongside Leavitt, now known as the Harvard Computers, Von Mertens describes the inventive methodologies Leavitt devised to negotiate the era's emerging photographic technology.”