Almost everyone, regardless of age, remembers the first time that they came upon the life-size Sperm Whale swimming overhead in the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life. It’s a breathtaking experience, and though it has been depicted in movies (Wes Anderson’s The Squid and the Whale is a Museum of Natural History classic) you have to see this Whale in person to really feel how small us humans are. And if that doesn’t do the trick, then visit the exhibit: Beyond Planet Earth: The Future of Space Exploration launches visitors into the exciting future of space exploration as it boldly speculates on humanity’s next steps “out there” in our solar system and beyond. The exhibition features a full-size recreation of a lunar habitat, a model of an elevator reaching up into space, a walk-through diorama of the Martian surface, and challenging computer interactive exhibits. And whatever you do don’t forget to check out the Creatures of Light exhibit. introduces visitors to the astonishing variety of bioluminescent organisms and explores the various ways they glow, the functions of bioluminescence, and how scientists study this remarkable characteristic. The exhibition unfolds through a series of immersive environments, beginning in a forest of bioluminescent mushrooms and taking visitors through a meadow filled with fireflies, a bioluminescent bay in Puerto Rico, coral reefs, and the deep sea to highlight the ways in which different animals use bioluminescence to attract mates and prey, and to threaten predators. Along the way, see live flashlight fish and special equipment, including a scale model of a deep-sea submersible…Whatever adventure you are looking for, you will find it here at the American Museum of Natural History.

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