Global Planet lands at Questacon

7 November 2006

What does a tsunami look like as it moves across the earth? Do hurricanes look different to an El Nino? At Questacon from today you can see this played out before your very eyes in a new interactive exhibit “The Awesome Earth Globe”.

The Awesome Earth Globe joins the Awesome Earth Gallery at Questacon where you can view natural phenomena - volcanic eruptions, crashing continental plates, tornados, lightning strikes and their impact on out planet. The Globe displays animations of natural disasters featuring El Nino, the 2004 Tsunami and Hurricanes. These are just the first three animations with an added 5 expected in the near future.

Pictures of Earth in a magazine or text book are flat, making it difficult to appreciate how weather patterns swirl around the globe. The Awesome Earth Globe is a mesmerising animation of Earth showing weather patterns and plate tectonics inside a sphere. It looks as though a miniature Earth is floating in front of you.

You can see each of these events happening inside the projection sphere and read a little bit of background information on an accompanying touch screen

Questacon Director, Graham Durant said “I am excited to see the Awesome Earth Globe exhibit take up a position on the gallery floor. With the current interest in climate change it is incredibly important for people of all ages to understand natural phenomena. Global Planet allows you to visualise weather patterns swirling across the globe which promotes better understanding of their impact”.