The Eye in the Sky
Satellite pictures of the Earth

Final stage of an Ariane rocket. Foto: Thomas Wolf

Meteorite in the centre of the lower exhibition level. Foto: Thomas Wolf

Model of an Ariane launch vehicle

Projection on the lower exhibition level. Foto:Thomas Wolf

Namib Desert, Namibia. Photo, data source: USGS/EROS Data Center, SIOUX Falls, South Dakota
You have never seen the world like this before. At the exhibition 'The Eye in the Sky', Gasometer Oberhausen GmbH and Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR) (German Aerospace Centre) are showing spectacular satellite pictures of the Earth in XXL format until 2 November 2008.
Originally, the pictures shown were used for purely scientific purposes. For 'The Eye in the Sky' they were, however, primarily selected according to aesthetic criteria. The 58 satellite pictures exhibited have a beauty which is otherwise only inherent in works of art. For example, the visitors experience completely new views of enormous mountain ranges and vast deserts, of rivers and oceans, untouched nature and artificially changed landscapes with holy places and industrial metropolises. 'The Eye in the Sky' looks down on the beauty, but also on the frailty of our Earth.

Computer-generated representation of the volcanic chain of the Hawaiian Islands. Bild: DLR

A model of the German Earth observation satellite TerraSAR-X. Foto: Thomas Wolf

The view of the Oberhausen Gasometer from far above: Foto: Thomas Wolf

A satellite image of Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Foto: German Remote Sensing Data Center DFD of DLR

An illuminated globe on the second exhibition level. Foto: Thomas Wolf

The exhibit in the foreground shows the Lothar storm over Europe at Christmas 1999. Foto: Thomas Wolf
"The pictures in the exhibition are of inestimable value for science. They remind us normal viewers of the actual dimensions of human existence within the universe", says Gasometer Managing Director Jeannette Schmitz. The exhibition 'The Eye in the Sky' was conceived by the curators Professor Peter Pachnicke and Wolfgang Volz in co-operation with Dr. Robert Meisner from the German Remote Sensing Data Centre of the DLR (German Aerospace Centre). Divided into subject areas and harmoniously fitted into the unique atmosphere of the Gasometer, the pictures develop a fascination all of their own.
In the gigantic air space of the Gasometer, the sound and light installation 'LightSky' of the Berlin artist Christina Kubisch corresponds in a wonderful way with the satellite pictures of the Earth and thus becomes a cosmic pantheon. Pieces of music consisting of natural and instrumental sounds composed especially for 'LightSky' transform the Gasometer into a fascinating sound chamber.
And there is even more to discover at the exhibition 'The Eye in the Sky'. Models of Earth observation satellites and cameras, for example. Or the upper stage of the European carrier rocket Ariane 5. Further valuable exhibits, including a 4.5 billion year-old meteorite, and the possibility of discovering the Ruhr and the surrounding area from the sky make the visit to the exhibition an exciting experience for the whole family.
This is what the press says about the exhibition 'The Eye in the Sky':
Science can even look goodSpiegel Online
Change of perpective in Oberhausenstern.de
Wonderfully beautiful and exciting satellite pictures of the earthNRZ
Sensational pictures, you really shouldn't miss it!Bild.de
To be an astronaut one day - with the exhibition 'The Eye in the Sky' you can get a bit closer to that dream.Die Welt
In the Gasometer, Oberhausen's landmark, at the exhibition 'The Eye in the Sky' a longing for undreamt of spheres developsWAZ
Real works of art!WDR
In this way the viewer becomes acquainted with a quite different view of the beauties of the EarthRheinische Post
The German Aerospace Centre is showing some of the most impressive long-distance photographs of the Earth in the Oberhausen GasometerDie Zeit online