Where Discoveries Begin

A young artist adds his touch to the United States National Science Foundation’s (NSF’s) graphic wall at the 235th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. This wall, designed by graphic designer Pete Marenfeld, was the center of the NSF Pavilion at the meeting, and encouraged participants to take a break from the meeting and indulge their creative sides — while exploring some of NSF’s world-class observatories which are part of NSF NOIRLab. A time-lapse video shows the fascinating evolution of this wall painting over the duration of the 4-day meeting.

Equipped with neon chalk markers, visitors to the NSF Pavilion doodled, colored, and annotated to produce a collaborative work of art showcasing cutting-edge astronomical facilities such as the International Gemini Observatory, Kitt Peak National Observatory, Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory and the Vera C. Rubin Observatory which is currently under construction.

With the AAS meeting concluded, the artwork was donated to a local middle school in Honolulu to help inspire the next generation of creative astronomers.