New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science facts for kids
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| Established | 1986 |
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| Location | Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S, |
| Type | Science museum |
The New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science is an exciting place in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It's a museum where you can explore the wonders of nature and science. The museum first opened its doors in 1986. It's a public museum, part of New Mexico's Department of Cultural Affairs.
Contents
Discovering the Museum's Past
The idea for this museum started in 1980. New Mexico had many amazing dinosaur fossils. People wanted a special home for these fossils right here in the state. This way, they wouldn't have to send them to museums far away. The museum was built near Old Town Albuquerque. When it opened in 1986, it was one of the first new natural history museums in many years. It was special because it focused on hands-on, interactive exhibits. Instead of just looking at things in glass cases, you could experience them!
In 1999, an astronomy center was added. This included an observatory for looking at stars and a planetarium. The planetarium shows you what space is like. This astronomy center later became a part of the museum in 2007.
Journey Through Time: Permanent Exhibits
The museum's main exhibits take you on an incredible trip through time. You'll travel from the very beginning of the Universe, about 13.6 billion years ago. Then you'll journey all the way to the Ice Age, which was about 10,000 years ago.
Here are some of the amazing time periods you can explore:
- Origins: Learn how the Universe began.
- Dawn of the Dinosaurs: See what life was like when dinosaurs first appeared.
- Jurassic Age of Super Giants: Meet the biggest dinosaurs that ever lived.
- New Mexico's Seacoast: Discover when New Mexico was covered by an ocean.
- Age of Volcanoes: Explore a time when volcanoes shaped the land.
- Rise of the Recent - Evolving Grasslands: See how grasslands changed over time.
- Cave Experience: Step inside a cool cave exhibit.
- New Mexico's Ice Age: Learn about the animals and ice from long ago.
Exploring Space and Fossils
Beyond the time journey, there's much more to see!
- The Planetarium offers daily shows. You can learn about stars, planets, and galaxies.
- An entire floor is dedicated to astronomy and space exploration. You can learn about rockets and space travel.
- There's an observation deck with a telescope. Sometimes, on special evenings, you can look through it at the night sky.
- The Fossilworks exhibit lets you see how scientists carefully remove dirt from dinosaur bones. It's like watching a real dig!
- The Naturalist Center is home to live animals and insects. You can see creatures up close.
- A geologic exhibit shows off the cool minerals found in New Mexico.
Special and Changing Exhibits
The museum also features special exhibits that change over time. These bring new and exciting topics to explore!
Current Special Exhibits
- Back to Bones: This exhibit shows off amazing fossils from New Mexico. You can see everything from ancient fish and early reptiles to dinosaur skulls and Ice Age mammals. It's a great way to see the incredible creatures that once lived here.
Past Special Exhibits
- STARTUP: Albuquerque and the Personal Computer Revolution: This exhibit explored the history of personal computers. It showed how computers changed our lives. Did you know that Microsoft was started in Albuquerque by Bill Gates and Paul Allen? This exhibit was on display for ten years before moving to Seattle.
- Wild Music: This exhibit was all about music in nature and how we make music. It had interactive displays where you could explore sounds from different parts of the world.
- Da Vinci: The Genius: This exhibit showcased the amazing art and inventions of Leonardo da Vinci. You could see recreations of his famous artworks and incredible machines. It showed how brilliant he was as an artist and an inventor.
- Picturing the Past: This was an art show featuring "paleo-art." These artworks showed prehistoric creatures as artists imagined them. It was a chance to see dinosaurs and other ancient animals brought to life through art.
- Brain: The Inside Story: This exhibit was all about your brain! It had hands-on displays to help you understand how your senses work, how you feel emotions, and how your brain develops. It showed how amazing and adaptable the human brain is.
Upcoming Special Exhibits
- There are no upcoming exhibits announced at this time.
Dinosaurs You Can See
The museum is famous for its dinosaurs!
- In the Jurassic Super Giants exhibit, you'll find full skeletons of huge dinosaurs. These include Seismosaurus, Saurophaganax, and Stegosaurus. You can also see one leg of a giant Brachiosaurus.
- For many years, the museum had a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton named Stan. Stan was very big, about 40 feet long and 12 feet tall! Stan is now at the Farmington Museum.
- In 2019, an animatronic (moving robot) Bistahieversor dinosaur, also known as the Bisti Beast, took Stan's place in the museum's main area.
- Outside the museum entrance, you'll see two bronze dinosaur statues. There's a Pentaceratops named "Spike" and an Albertosaurus named "Alberta." Spike was put there in 1985, and Alberta joined him in 1987. Many dinosaur fossils have been found in New Mexico, and some of the ones at the museum are unique to the state!
More Fun at the Museum
The museum also has other cool features:
- The Hope Cafe is a place to grab a snack or a meal.
- The NatureWorks Discovery Store is where you can find souvenirs and educational toys.
- The Dynatheater is a 3-D theater. It's like an IMAX theater. They show documentary films about all sorts of interesting subjects.
- Outside the museum, there's "A Walk Through New Mexico." This is a special landscape that shows you the different types of land and rocks found across New Mexico.
Images for kids
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Entrance to the "STARTUP: Albuquerque and The Personal Computer Revolution" exhibit, 2007
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The Traf-O-Data 8008 Computer, 2007
