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The Challenger Learning Center of Alaska (CLCA) will be holding a star party today and unveiling new and never before seen mural-sized images of the center of our Milky Way Galaxy.

"The images are amazing," said Kathy East, CLCA curriculum director. "It's mind-boggling to see something that is hundreds of thousands of light years away."

The showcasing of these unprecedented images for the people of the Kenai Peninsula is part of NASA's broader unveiling of these images nationwide, at select locations.

"There's only around 50 places in the U.S. that will have them," East said.

Their unveiling is part of the International Year of Astronomy festivities, which East explained is a yearlong celebration of astronomy. It's taking place in 2009 to coincide with the 400th anniversary of the first recorded astronomical observations with a telescope by Galileo Galilei, and the publication of Johannes Kepler's "Astronomia Nova" in the 17th century.

"Since Galileo's spyglass, telescopes have grown ever larger and ever better, and have moved to mountaintops and into space," East said.

The image unveiling represents just how far this science of staring at celestial bodies and objects has come over the past four centuries, since they are were produced by some of NASA's Great Observatories: the Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory.

The largest image -- 6-foot-by-3-foot -- is a composite of the Milky Way's hub, made up of from individual images taken by the three separate space-based telescopes.

"They overlaid them so that the whole electromagnetic spectrum could be seen," East said. "It presents a unique view that showcases the galaxy in near-infrared light observed by Hubble, infrared light observed by Spitzer, and X-ray light observed by Chandra."

CLCA will also unveil a matched trio of Hubble, Spitzer, and Chandra images of the Milky Way's center on a second large panel measuring 3 feet by 4 feet. Each image shows the telescope's different and unique wavelength view of the central region of our galaxy.

"These multi-wavelength views provide both stunning beauty and a wealth of scientific information that could not have been dreamed of by Galileo," East said.

Since the unveiling isn't just about informing the public about the latest astronomical discoveries, but also emphasizing the essential role of astronomy in science education, East said there would be other options for learning during the event.

"We have some plastic replicas of the original telescope Galileo used that we'll be given away," she said. "And if it's clear, we'll have them out and set up."

The star party will be from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., with CLCA board member Pete "Doc" Hansen unveiling the images at 7:30 p.m. The images will then be on permanent display near the front entrance of the center, which according to East was "so everyone can enjoy them."

Joseph Robertia can be reached at joseph.robertia@peninsulaclarion.com.