(Isabella Pearlstein / Fourth Estate)
The museum has three fascinating special exhibits with one leaving at the end of the year
BY ISABELLA PEARLSTEIN, STAFF WRITER
If you are looking for budget-friendly fun in Washington, D.C., checking out any of the 21 Smithsonian Museums is a great place to start. One of the most popular museums in D.C. to explore, the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, resides on the National Mall along with 10 other museums.
The Natural History Museum currently has three special exhibits showcasing the importance of the night sky, data on how our planet works and the impact of cellphones and how people have shaped the technology.
Walking up the steps to the entrance from the National Mall, visitors are immediately greeted by a grand rotunda with a majestic elephant towering above the information desk. Past the elephant in the room there is an entrance to the museum’s permanent exhibit, “Ocean Hall.” Looking to the left and right there are two more permanent exhibits, “Fossil Hall” and “Mammal Hall.”
On the second floor there are signs for the museum’s other permanent exhibits: “Geology, Gems and Minerals” and “Butterflies and Live Plants.” There is also a sign for one of the special exhibits, “Lights Out.”
(Isabella Pearlstein / Fourth Estate)
The first exclusive display takes museum-goers on a journey through the night to learn how much of the night sky and nocturnal life of the planet are affected by light pollution. The exhibit itself is in a dark hallway with ambient sounds of nocturnal animals filling the space.
There are several interactive features within the exhibit, like buttons on a panel that play the noises of various animals when pressed and buttons on a different panel that show what “your night sky” looks like in an “inner city sky,” a “suburban sky” or a “dark sky site.”
Another fun feature of the exhibit is the small theater in the center where visitors can sit under a starry sky and watch short films about various cultures’ star stories.
The “Lights Out” exhibit will be leaving the museum at the end of this year.
Next, is a smaller exhibit called “NASA’s Earth Information Center.” The exhibit looks at the constant changes Earth has been facing due to human activity.
The data comes from collaborative research between the Smithsonian Institution and NASA. The exhibit is set to leave at the end of 2028.
(Isabella Pearlstein / Fourth Estate)
The last special exhibit in the Natural History Museum is “Cellphone: Unseen Connections.” It allows visitors to take a peek inside their phones and its connections to them and the world.
Part of the story of the exhibit is told by a group of teens and a cat in a comic book style. These teens look at how cellphones impact our everyday life — whether positive or negative — and also discuss the technological advances and innovation behind your cellphone.
There are several interactive features in the exhibit, including an area where visitors stand in front of a giant phone and turn into an emoji. There is also a wall where people can see what phones used to look like before today.
This exhibit is set to leave at the end of 2026.
What makes these exhibits special is their ability to highlight the modern human impact on the planet and allow visitors to reflect on how important their role is on Earth.
Though the Natural History Museum is typically open 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. seven days a week, all 21 Smithsonian Museums are currently closed due to the ongoing government shutdown.
