The Dragon at the Mall

Crane Beach, MA (March 19, 2005)

I actually mean the National Mall. As you probably know by now, I am working at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, which is part of the Smithsonian Institution. The Smithsonian is an educational and research institute administered by the government of the United States. It manages the largest museum complex in the world, and 9 research centers. The Smithsonian Headquarters (the Castle) are in Washington D.C., in the National Mall, where there are some of the most important museums it administers. The research centers are all around the world. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory main campus is in Cambridge, MA, but parts of it are in Arizona (Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory) and Hawaii (SubMillimeter Array).

The Smithsonian made a photographic contest among its staff, and one of my photos has been selected. If you are in the DC area, you an see the photo as part of the exhibit “Inside Perspectives: Photographs from the Smithsonian Community” at the S. Dillon Ripley Center Concourse, 1100 Jefferson Drive, S.W., Washington, DC. The Exhibit is open from March 4 to May 31, 2009.