A new photo exhibition is bringing the Solar System to Central London, with support from Imperial’s Department of Earth Science and Engineering (ESE).

Entitled ‘Spacescapes: Postcards from our Solar System’, the exhibition is curated by the Geological Society of London in partnership with the UK Space Agency and an international team of planetary scientists, architects, engineers, artists and designers.

ESE’s Professor Sanjeev Gupta, science team member on NASA’s Curiosity and Perseverance missions to Mars, has supported the exhibition team as its primary science advisor, helping to curate the featured content, and also more widely advising on the Geological Society’s activities to promote their theme for 2021: The Year of Space.

Spacescapes is designed to spark curiosity and celebrate geoscience; it encourages visitors to not only appreciate the landscapes of our neighbouring planets, but to also learn more about our own planet and its natural world.

The exhibition features towering high-definition images of giant volcanoes, impact craters, rippling sand dunes, snaking river deltas, and the very first selfie from the Perseverance Rover currently on Mars. Visitors will journey through the Solar System, exploring the landscapes and features on Earth that have taught us so much about environments and landforms on other planets.

Just like a space scientist, people can seek out the clues hidden in the natural world to discover the secrets and history of the planets and moons around us.

Professor Gupta (pictured below) said: “Everything we know about landscapes on Earth and in space is rooted in geology. Spacescapes is an exhibition about the wonder of the Solar System and our place in it.

“Taking in these incredible images, which feel both familiar and alien, people can do the work of planetary scientists by comparing and contrasting our home with distant planets and moons.

Piecing together clues that reveal the origin and evolution of our universe, you might find yourself more at home in the furthest reaches of our galaxy than you realise!”

Credit for images of the Spacescapes exhibition: Benedict Johnson.