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 science museum located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It's a great place to learn about natural history, from ancient dinosaurs to the wonders of space. The museum first opened its doors in 1986. It is run by the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs.
Contents
Discovering the Museum's Past
The idea for this museum began in 1980. Many dinosaur fossils were being found in New Mexico. People wanted a special home for these amazing discoveries. This way, the fossils would stay in New Mexico instead of going to other states.
The museum building started being built in 1985. It opened on January 11, 1986. It was one of the first new natural history museums in the U.S. in many years. This museum focused on interactive exhibits. This means you could touch and explore things, not just look at them behind glass.
In 1999, an astronomy center was added. This included an observatory and a planetarium. The astronomy center became part of the main museum in 2007.
Journey Through Time: Permanent Exhibits
The museum's main exhibits take you on an amazing journey through time. You can explore billions of years of Earth's history! These exhibits cover everything from the very beginning of the Universe to the Ice Age.
The eight main "journey through time" halls are:
- Origins: Learn how the Universe began.
- Dawn of the Dinosaurs: See what Earth was like when dinosaurs first appeared.
- Jurassic Age of Super Giants: Meet giant dinosaurs from the Jurassic period.
- 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 the world.
- Cave Experience: Step into a cool cave environment.
- New Mexico's Ice Age: Learn about the animals and changes during the Ice Age.
Exploring Space and Fossils
Beyond the time journey, there's a fun, interactive planetarium. Here, you can watch shows about stars and planets every day. There's also a whole floor dedicated to astronomy and space exploration. You can even visit an observation deck to look through a telescope sometimes, usually at night.
The Fossilworks exhibit lets you see how scientists work. You can watch people carefully removing material from fossilized dinosaur bones. The museum also has a "Naturalist Center." This area is home to live animals and insects. Plus, there's an exhibit about the cool minerals found in the region.
Temporary Exhibits: What's New?
The museum often has special exhibits that change over time. These exhibits bring new and exciting things to see and learn about.
Current Exhibits
Back to Bones is a current exhibit. It shows off many different fossils. You can see everything from 300-million-year-old fish to dinosaur skulls and Ice Age mammals. Many of these fossils were found right here in New Mexico! This exhibit has been very popular and continues to be on display.
Past Exhibits
The museum has hosted many interesting exhibits in the past.
- STARTUP: Albuquerque and the Personal Computer Revolution was a popular exhibit for ten years. It told the story of how personal computers began. Did you know that Microsoft started in Albuquerque? Its co-founder, Paul Allen, helped create this exhibit.
- Wild Music was an exhibit that explored music in nature and through human inventions. It showed how sound works and how music is made around the world.
- Da Vinci: The Genius displayed amazing recreations of Leonardo da Vinci's art and inventions. You could see models of machines he designed hundreds of years ago. It also looked closely at his famous painting, the Mona Lisa.
- Picturing the Past was an art show featuring paleo-art. This is art that shows prehistoric creatures. Artists from all over the world shared their work.
- Brain: The Inside Story was an exhibit about the human brain. It had hands-on displays to help you understand how your senses, emotions, and thoughts work. It showed the latest discoveries in brain science.
Upcoming Exhibits
Currently, there are no upcoming exhibits announced.
Dinosaurs You Can See
The Jurassic Super Giants exhibit features huge dinosaur skeletons. You can see a complete Seismosaurus, a Saurophaganax, and a Stegosaurus. There's even one leg from a giant Brachiosaurus!
The museum's main hall used to have "Stan," a huge Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton. Stan was about 40 feet (12.2 meters) long and 12 feet (3.7 meters) tall! He was one of the biggest T. rex ever found. Stan is now at another museum in Farmington, New Mexico. An animatronic (moving robot) Bistahieversor dinosaur, also known as the Bisti Beast, has taken his place.
Outside the museum, you'll find two cool bronze dinosaur statues. There's a Pentaceratops named "Spike" and an Albertosaurus named "Alberta." Spike was put in place in 1985, and Alberta joined him in 1987. Many dinosaur fossils have been discovered in New Mexico. Some of the unique dinosaurs on display at the museum are only known from New Mexico.
Other Fun Features
The museum also has other cool things to explore. There's the Hope Cafe if you get hungry. You can find souvenirs and educational toys at the NatureWorks Discovery Store.
Don't miss the Dynatheater! This is a 3-D theater that shows amazing documentary films. The movies cover a wide range of subjects, from nature to space.
Outside the museum, you can walk through "A Walk Through New Mexico." This outdoor area shows off the different landscapes and geology of New Mexico. It's like taking a mini-tour of the state!
Photo gallery
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Main entrance, 2014
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Museum entry, 2018
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Family visiting the museum, 2013
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Entrance to "STARTUP: Albuquerque and the Personal Computer Revolution" wing, 2007
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Traf-O-Data 8008 Computer, 2007
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