Somehow, they perform magic at the Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History -- finding another nook or cranny of space to display yet another exhibit, and still have it all look remarkably like the genuine museum it is.

The latest hocus pocus has "From Earth to the Universe" gracing the carpet of the museum that extends the east end of the Brazos Center on Briarcrest Drive in Bryan.

For this one, the museum teamed with the Mitchell Institute of Fundamental Physics and Astronomy at Texas A&M University.

Probably only owners of large, expensive telescopes already knew that this is the International Year of Astronomy -- and here I am telling you this with only 40 days left to celebrate.

It seems that 2009 is the 400th anniversary of when a fella named Galileo Galilei first used a telescope to look at stars and such and Johannes Kepler published Astronomia Nova.

But don't fret, because "From Earth to the Universe" will be at the museum an extra month, until Jan. 30, so you have plenty of time to soak in the spectacular photos, artifacts from NASA, telescopes and tektites on display.

The what?

Tektites, according to Funk and Google, are the small natural glass rocks that result when large meteorites slam the earth.

"We have large posters of information about multiple galaxies and different celestial bodies that's pretty magnificent," said Trey Lyon, an undergrad worker and elementary-student educator at the museum. "We have different old books talking about constellations. And we have a real Apollo space suit on loan from NASA."

The wow factor of this display comes from the high definition images of the universe captured by both ground- and space-based telescopes. But in grand museum tradition, there's also plenty of "stuff under glass," like meteorite specimens and, of course, the aforementioned tektites.

Moving over and making room for this new exhibit are such remaining draws as the Frithiof Fossil Collection and its flying reptiles; Ice Age Mammals with its mammoths, mastodons and sabretooth cats; the Discovery Room of living creepy crawly things; Emma Stark's Brazos Spring Mural and much more.

This exhibit was made possible in part through hotel tax revenue funded from the city of College Station through the Arts Council of Brazos Valley and through underwriting provided by the William Knox Holt Foundation, the George P. and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Institute for Fundamental Physics and Astronomy, and the department of physics and astronomy and the College of Science at Texas A&M.

The Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every Monday through Saturday, and 1 to 5 p.m. the first Sunday of each month. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, museum friends and ages 4-17, and free for age 3 and under. Groups of 10 or more are $3.50 each. The Web site is at www.brazosvalleymuseum .org.

Save the date:

* Sunday: Concerts on Carter Creek presents Robert Leslie in The Psalmody of John Calvin, 6 p.m., First Presbyterian Church in Bryan (823-8073, fpcbryan.org)

* Monday-Nov. 30: Arts Council of Brazos Valley presents its Holiday Artisan Bazaar in the Texas Gallery (696-2787, acbv.org)

* Through Jan. 31: Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History presents "From Earth to the Universe" exhibit (776-2195, brazosvalleymuseum.org)

* Dec. 1: MSC OPAS Intimate Gatherings presents Cantus, a male a cappella group, 7:30 p.m., Rudder Theatre (845-1234, mscopas.com).

* Dec. 3-19: StageCenter presents Christmas Belles, a Southern Christmas farce, 7:30 p.m. (stagecenter.net, 823-4297)

* Dec. 3, 10, 17: American Guild of Organists presents Advent Recitals, 12:30 p.m., St. Thomas Episcopal Church in College Station (696-0452)

* Dec. 4-6: Navasota Theatre Alliance presents The Baddest Angel Band (navasotatheatre.com, 936-825-3195)

* Dec 4-20: The Theatre Company presents It's a Wonderful Life, Fridays-Sundays (779-1302, www .theatrecompany.com)

* Dec. 5: International Festival-Institute at Round Top presents Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Ballet, 4 p.m. (249-3129, festivalhill.org)

* Dec. 5: George Bush Presidential Library and Museum presents A Spanish Winemaker Weekend (bushlibrary.tamu.edu, 862-2251)

* Dec. 6: Texas A&M University Choral Activities presents The Holiday Spirit of Aggieland, featuring the Singing Cadets, Women's Chorus and Century Singers, 3 p.m., Rudder Auditorium (choralactivities.tamu.edu, 845-5975)

* Dec. 8: MSC OPAS presents An Evening with Garrison Keillor (845-1234, mscopas.com).

* Dec. 10: Navasota Theatre Alliance presents its annual membership drive Christmas Gala (www.navasotatheatre.com, 936-825-3195)

* Dec. 12: Brazos Valley Chorale presents Christmas Favorites Holiday Concert, 7:30 p.m., First Presbyterian Church in Bryan (776-1776, bvchorale.com)

* Dec. 12: International Festival-Institute at Round Top presents the Gay Men's Chorus of Houston, 3 p.m., (249-3129, festivalhill.org)

* All month: Children's Museum of the Brazos Valley offers various programs, including Monday Madness, from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (mymuseum.org, 779-5437)

* Tom Turbiville is The Eagle's arts columnist. He's also sports director for WTAW-1620AM Radio. E-mail him at tom.turbiville@theeagle.com.