Galileo, The Medici and The Age of Astronomy at The Franklin Institute
The Franklin hosts an exclusive world appearance of Galileo, The Medici and The Age of Astronomy.
DATE & LOCATION
BUY TICKETSApril 4 through September 7, 2009
The Franklin
222 N. 20th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 448-1200
TICKETS
Hours: 9:30AM - 5:00PM
Daytime pricing includes admission to the Galileo exhibit AND general admission to The Franklin.
Adults: $20.75
Seniors: $19.75
Children: $14 (ages 4-11)
Advance ticketing recommended.
For individual tickets, CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS ONLINE
or call: 1.877.TFI.TIXS
For group sales, call: 1.800.285.0684
THE EXPERIENCE
The Franklin hosts the world premiere of Galileo, The Medici and The Age of Astronomy, April 4 - September 7, 2009. This is your only chance to see this special exhibit, which celebrates the 400th anniversary of Galileo's astronomical discoveries as well as the International Year of Astronomy.
The exhibition explores the extraordinary impact of Galileo's work on science and the world, told through artifacts, drawings and several of Galileo's personal effects loaned from the Istituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza in Florence, Italy.
Galileo's work will be featured alongside artifacts of the Medicis, the ruling Florentine family known for its unparalleled advocacy of art and science.
VISITING TIPS
Please make note of the following before entering the exhibition.
- Due to the fragile nature of the artifacts, no photography is allowed in the exhibition.
- An optional cell phone tour will be available for you to access during your visit. Details are below.
- Special audiocasts, which you can download onto an mp3 player and bring with you to the exhibition, will be available soon. The audiocasts will also be accessible via your web-enabled mobile device at the exhibition entrance.
- The exhibition is located in the main Science Center building on the third floor. The entrance is at the top of the pendulum staircase. Elevator access is via the main elevators located at the front of the building. The ramp in Sports Challenge allows completely accessible entry to the exhibition.
- If looking closely at the artifacts, most groups will spend about 40-50 minutes in the exhibition.
- The exhibition includes nearly 100 artifacts never before seen in Philadelphia.
- The artifacts are in display cases and are not to be touched.
- Several area shops, restaurants and cultural institutions offer deals when you present your Galileo ticket stub. See the Star Treatment Savings Guide for details.
SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY: CELL PHONE GUIDED TOUR
When you visit Galileo, The Medici and The Age of Astronomy, presented by Officine Panerai, take advantage of a free Guide by Cell tour of the exhibition. This tour will provide you with additional information about the exhibition and the artifacts you will be seeing.
It's simple. You choose what you hear, when and in what order. And there is no cost to you except the cell phone minutes used. You can call as often as you like. Track lengths average two minutes.
Once you arrive at The Franklin to see Galileo, the Medici and the Age of Astronomy, ask for complete Guide by Cell instructions before entering the exhibition.
VIDEO: GALILEO ON THE COLBERT REPORT
On March 30, 2009, Derrick Pitts — Chief Astronomer at The Franklin — appeared on The Colbert Report to talk about Galileo. Check out the video below!
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Derrick Pitts | ||||
| ||||
THE TELESCOPE
The exhibit's highlights include one of only two existing Galileo telescopes.
Officially invented in 1609 in The Netherlands, it was Galileo who made the telescope famous in 1610. He greatly improved the invention's magnification capabilities and was the first to train it on the stars for scientific purposes.
Some of Galileo's most important astronomical discoveries were greatly aided by this telescope - including sunspots, Jupiter's four largest satellites (the Galilean moons named in his honor) and the phases of Venus.
Click here to preview the telescope in our Interactive Artifact Gallery.
INTERACTIVE ARTIFACT GALLERY
Click here to enter an interactive gallery of artifacts from the exhibition. You can even preview Galileo's telescope.
GALILEO IN PHILADELPHIA
One could argue that Galileo Galilei would have felt right at home in Philadelphia, a city famous for its art museums, strong Italian roots and scientific discoveries (kite and key, anyone?).
Check out our extensive guide to Galileo + Philadelphia to see why Philadelphia is the perfect destination for this exhibition, with so many additional things to see and do for Art, Science and History aficionados, visitors looking for an authentic taste of Italy, star gazers, astronomy buffs, families and so much more.
Exhibition Location Details
- The Franklin
- 222 N. 20th Street
- Philadelphia, PA 19103
- View on Map
CONTACT INFO
- 222 N. 20th Street
- The Franklin
- Philadelphia, PA 19103
- (215) 448-1200
- www2.fi.edu
NEARBY ATTRACTIONS
NEARBY ACCOMODATIONS
VIEW LOCATION ON MAP
