To mark the 47th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon-landing mission, the Smithsonian has made available a high-resolution 3-D scan of the command module “Columbia,” the spacecraft that carried astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin and Michael Collins to the moon. Go to the landing page »
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Among the hundreds of figures carved on the Cosmic Buddha are depictions of Dipankara (Buddha of the Distant Past), Shakyamuni (the Historical Buddha), and the bodhisattva Maitreya, the Buddha of the Future. They are often called “Buddhas of the... -
This tour shares archival photographs taken in 1923 to discuss the purchase of the sculpture in Beijing, the condition of its surface when it arrived in Washington, and its place in the Freer Gallery’s collection. -
One of the most complex narrative scenes on the surface of the Cosmic Buddha illustrates the popular Vimalakirti Nirdesha sutra which recounts a meeting between Manjushri, the bodhisattva of wisdom, and the Buddhist layman Vimalakirti. -
A Brief Overview -
Saqsaywaman (sak sigh WAH mahn) was the symbol of the military and religious power of the state. -- Saqsaywaman (sak sigh WAH mahn) fue el símbolo del poder militar y religioso del estado. -
What can this object tell us about the man it was buried with? -
Overview tour for the Jamestown Chancel Burials. -
What do we know about Captain Gabriel Archer and how do we know it? -
The Youngest Man buried in the Jamestown Chancel. -
The First English Knight Buried in the New World -
Described as as "our honest, religious and courageous divine", discover who Rev. Hunt was and how his burial was identified. -
Explore the Flyer in detail -
Fossil whale skeletons from Cerro Ballena, a unique paleontological site in the Atacama Region of Chile. -
This life mask was taken on February 11, 1865, a day before Abraham Lincoln’s fifty-sixth birthday, by sculptor Clark Mills. The 3-D object you see is a 1917 copy from the casting given to the Smithsonian in 1889 by the sculptor’s son. -
This sculpture was damaged sometime in the past 1500 years resulting in the loss of its original head and hands. Now, it is only possible to suggest its original symbolic hand gestures (known as mudras in Sanskrit) through comparisons with other... -
Discover David Livingstone through the Russell E. Train Africana Collection -
A look into conservation of the Cosmic Buddha -
Discover the history of a classic object that elevates furniture to art. -
Overview of the gunboat Philadelphia -
A closer look at the inner workings of an orchid -
A supernova is a titanic event that sends shock waves rumbling through space and creates giant super-heated bubbles of gas. Take a look into what makes up these awesome astronomical events. -
Curator Peter L. Jakab guides you through a tour of the 1903 Wright Flyer -
Overview of the 1903 Wright Flyer -
The National Postal Museum's collection includes a flight suit owned and worn by Amelia Earhart. This tour explores the suit's physical features and their ties to her philatelic and flying passions. -
How a three dimensional model of an object thousands of light years away was created and what it tells us about our universe. -
This supernova was formed when a massive star exploded approximately 330 years ago. It's expanding debris field of hot gas and energetic particles will seed the universe with essential elements. -
After the Kéet S’aaxw (Killer Whale Hat) was repatriated to the Dakl’aweidi the clan leader, Edwell John, Jr., brought it back to the Smithsonian to be 3D scanned so an accurate replica could be made and displayed at the Smithsonian Institution. -
Look into the carved narritive of the Cosmic Budda with a conservation scientist's eye -
An investigation into the fossiliferous limestone from which the Cosmic Buddha was carved. -
A short tour of Liang Bua -
Fossil skull and jaws of a yet unnamed species of extinct dolphin, discovered in 6-7 million year-old rocks along the Caribbean coast of Panama. -
This life mask was taken in Spring 1860 by sculptor Leonard Volk. The 3-D object you see is a 1917 copy from the casting given to the Smithsonian in 1888. -
Do you know the difference between a male and female blue crab? What about a Sook and a Sally? Proceed to learn more about waterman lingo, crab cannibalism, and the dangers facing blue crabs in the Chesapeake.
