NEW EYE ON THE SKY WEATHER GALLERY
The Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium has openned a new window on the science of weather forecasting. The new Eye on the Sky Weather Gallery welcomes visitors to the world of cloud formations and pressure changes. Had enough of wintry weather? A trip though the gallery will expose guests to the heat waves and hail storms, ice crystals and isobars, cyclones and dust devils. New interactive exhibits feature animated graphics that encompass the enormous range of natural science involved with weather: from a microscopic look at water molecules to a computer-simulated hurricane.
Meteorologists Mark Breen, Steve Maleski, and Chris Bouchard prepare and produce the Eye on the Sky broadcast in a studio at the Museum. Their distinctive blend of history, lore and precise regional forecasting has made Eye on the Sky a standard on Vermont Public Radio since 1981. The Eye on the Sky Weather Gallery is designed to introduce the uninitiated as well as long-time weather watchers to the diverse and surprising forces that shape the distinctive brand of weather of Vermont, New Hampshire, and northern New York, as well as parts of Quebec, Massachusetts, and Maine. The information is presented so that weather observers at any level can appreciate the beauty of satellite imagery and the structure of a snowflake. “Weather is such a common thread in peoples lives, yet the science behind it is intricate and complex,” says Breen. “The new Weather Gallery permits visitors to peel away the layers of complexity to discover the basic science principles that can turn a sunny day into a fearsome display of nature's power.”
The Weather Gallery features four kiosks that examine specific parts of weather science: wind, temperature, pressure and moisture. Computer animated graphics help explain the forces behind wind and the energy of heat. Breen talks about the fresh approach to understanding the science behind the weather, “When you walk into the Weather Gallery, you can immediately take hold of the weather, or at least take hold of an exhibit that encourages you to change and observe air pressure.” But just what is air pressure, and what does it have to do with the weather? The colorful, interactive Weather Gallery has been designed to peek into the inner workings of hurricanes, blizzards, and even a gentle sea breeze.
The inspiration for science in the public interest dates back to Franklin Fairbanks, founder of the Museum, and his meticulous weather notebooks. Starting in the mid-1800s, Franklin Fairbanks observed and recorded clouds and precipitation. In his careful script, he observed how weather conditions affected his life, including conditions for strawberry growing and sleigh riding. Museum staff began recording daily weather statistics shortly after its doors were opened in 1891. The weather data collected at the Museum represents the longest continuous record of weather at the same location in Vermont. Fred Mold, director of the Museum from 1948 to 1977, built a weather station and began broadcasting forecasts from the Museum. Early broadcasts in the 1950s on a local radio station began with Fred Mold extending his curiosity and enthusiasm for the natural world to observations about the conditions of the day, saving the final 30 seconds of a four-minute spot for the forecast.
In 1981, Mark Breen and Steve Maleski, both graduates of the meteorology program at Lyndon State College, provided additional scientific depth and polish to a new signature weather program. Their daily partnership blends nuggets of history, astronomy, physics and legend, explaining not only what the weather is likely to do, but why. They serve as the eye for northern New England, New York and parts of southern Quebec. Breen and Maleski also teach weather science through the Museum’s education programs, and Mark Breen is the author of The Kid’s Book of Weather Forecasting. “Introducing kids to the terribly beautiful and wondrous universe of which we are a part” is one of the pleasures of working at the Museum, says Maleski. Chris Bouchard has joined this team, and adds his excitement about weather and nature to his weekday broadcasts.
With support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), a state-of-the-art digital computer weather logging station was installed on the roof of the Museum in 2005l. The industrial grade high-resolution sensors enable the Museum to bring real-time weather science to the public through the Eye on the Sky gallery and on its website.
