The Worlds Beyond program is an educational art project that explores the fascinating topic of planets outside our own solar system. These planets are known as extrasolar planets (or exoplanets). The first exoplanet around a normal star was discovered in 1995. Since then, astronomers have discovered nearly 250 such exoplanets, and the count is going up almost daily.

The Worlds Beyond program brings this fascinating topic to middle school students through an engaging hands-on project. Participants learn about techniques used to detect exoplanets and some of the scientific issues in this active research field. They then adopt one of the 200+ known exoplanets, and learn about the characteristics of their exoplanet. Armed with this background knowledge, they translate their scientific understanding to an artistic representation of the planet.

This project was piloted in 2006-2007 with students in the Washington, DC area. Installations of their Worlds Beyond projects were displayed on the National Mall in May 2007 as part of Public Service Recognition Week. A permanent installation is now on display at the Goddard Visitor Center. Come and visit!

The James Webb Space Telescope and the Goddard Visitor Center contributed to this program to highlight Goddard's role in exploring extra-solar planetary systems using the James Webb Space Telescope and other instruments. The pilot effort for the Worlds Beyond project was sponsored by the National Space Society (NSS) and NGST, the prime contractor for JWST.