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The Making of the Fathers of Astronomy Exhibit (pages 10-13)
Christopher M. Graney

Summary

The International Year of Astronomy 2009 stretched a few days into 2010 here in Louisville, Kentucky — the Fathers of Astronomy exhibit at the Frazier International History Museum did not close until 3 January 2010. Fathers of Astronomy, which was open for five months, told the story of Galileo through authentic original editions of three books — the 1493 Nuremberg Chronicle, Nicolas Copernicus’s 1543 On the Revolutions of Heavenly Spheres, and Galileo Galilei’s 1632 Dialogue Concerning the two Chief World Systems. The success of “Fathers” resulted from three very different partners coming together and combining resources to produce a history-themed IYA2009 programme of the highest quality at minimal cost. Lessons learned from the exhibit may be of value to people interested in communicating astronomy to the public.