The stunning collection of photographs from the Royal Society, called Is Seeing Believing? is now on display at the South Ribble Museum and Exhibition Centre on Church Road.

It is the first time the exhibition will be on show outside of London and is expected to bring science and history enthusiasts from far and wide flocking to Leyland to see the collection.

It includes iconic photographs of deep space and nature, showcases the wonders of astronomy, microscopy, the human body, nature and materials, carefully scheduled to coincide with the Year of Science 2009.

Visitors can expect to get up close to a selection of scientific drawings, prints, paintings and digital images from the 16th Century to the present day, many of which come from the Royal Society's library and archives.

The centrepiece is a huge image of the Crab Nebula, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.

Other highlights include Galileo's first printed drawings of the Moon, seen through a telescope he made himself; Hooke's flea from "Micrographia"; images of British algae from the first book illustrated with photographic pictures; the Victorian naturalist John Gould's drawings of newly-discovered Australian animals; and Renaissance engravings of human anatomy.

The collection will complement other science-related projects and activities the museum is running this year, together with nearby Balshaw's High School, to commemorate the bi-centenary of Charles Darwin's birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his seminal work, On The Origin Of Species.

This will be the fourth summer in a row that the South Ribble Museum and Exhibition Centre has pulled out all the stops to secure an exhibition of global importance. Photographs f rom Sir Ernest Shackleton's doomed attempt to cross the Antarctic in 1914 were showcased last year.

Dr Felicity Henderson from the Royal Society will join the Mayor for the 11am launch. Members of the public are invited to attend. The exhibition runs until September 26, 2009. Admission is free.

The museum itself is open on Tuesdays and Fridays from 10am until 4pm, Thursdays from 1pm-4pm and Saturdays from 10am-1pm. Call 01772 422041 for more information.