Houston Museum of Natural Science

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The Houston Museum of Natural Science is a science museum located on the northern border of Hermann Park in Houston, Texas, USA. The museum was established in 1909 by the Houston Museum and Scientific Society, an organization whose goals were to provide a free institution for the people of Houston focusing on education and science. Museum attendance totals over two million visitors each year. The museum complex consists of a central facility with four floors of natural science halls and exhibits, Burke Baker Planetarium, Cockrell Butterfly Center and the Wortham IMAX Theater. The museum is one of the most popular in the United States and ranks second only to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City in attendance amongst non-Smithsonian museums. Much of the museum's popularity is attributed to its large number of special or guest exhibits.

Sundial (right) and front exterior of Houston Museum of Natural Science.

1 History
2 Exhibits
3 Facilities
4 External links

[edit] History

Originally located in the City Auditorium building in downtown, the museum moved to a building within Houston Zoo in 1929. The museum's primary collection was acquired between 1914 and 1930. The current facility in Hermann Park was constructed in 1969. In 1988, the museum became the first affiliate site for the Challenger Center organization. The Wortham IMAX Theater and the George Observatory were opened in 1989. The museum's high attendance levels have allowed the museum to begin plans to expand and more than double its floor space in the next few years. The new exhibits are most likely to focus on dinosaurs and astronomy.

[edit] Exhibits

The Foucault pendulum, demonstrating the Earth rotation. The length of the pendulum's cable is over 60 feet long.
Cullen Hall of Gems & Minerals and Eby Hall of Mineral Science, featuring a large exhibit of over 750 crystallized mineral specimens and rare gemstones.
Farish Hall of Texas Wildlife exhibits animals and wildlife native to Texas. The hall contains a video wall that displays the plants, animals and topography of the seven biotic regions of the state.
Evelyn and Herbert Frensley Hall of African Wildlife, a display of taxidermied animals, including one of only two forest giraffes exhibited in North America. Opening in 1969, the hall allows visitors to explore the seven biomes of the continent of Africa. Over 120 specimens, including 42 species of birds and 28 species of mammals are on display.
Strake Hall of Malacology, with many specimens of mollusks.
Alfred C. Glassell Jr. Hall of Paleontology, showing many fossils, including an 85 foot long Diplodocus skeleton, the only mounted Diplodocus hayi in the world. The hall contains over 450 fossils and fossil replicas.
John P. McGovern Hall of the Americas, showing exhibits of pre-Columbian archaeological artifacts.
Welch Chemistry Hall, with chemistry related displays and a periodic table of elements with a sample of each element.
Wiess Energy Hall, with displays themed around energetics, petroleum geology, and oil exploration. The hall consists of 12 sections which include the Energy Explorations Theater, the Geovator (which takes visitors on a simulated trip to the bottom of a 7,285 ft. well), the Energy Excursions Theater and the Alternative Energy Sources exhibit.
Isaac Arnold Hall of Space Science contains exhibits and artifacts of the manned and unmanned space programs. The Challenger Learning Center, which offers a realistic mock-up of Mission Control, is adjacent to the hall.
Fondren Discovery Place is an exhibit designed to allow children to investigate science in action. Children are encouraged to touch all exhibits which includes a working replica of the Corliss Steam Engine and a simulated broadcast weather studio. This area also contains a replica of the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamen.

[edit] Facilities

Cockrell Butterfly Center at the Houston Museum of Natural Science

Opening in 1964, the Burke Baker Planetarium presents a range of science and astronomy shows. The planetarium is equipped with the SkySkan DigitalSky starfield projector that can simulate stars, planets, comets, nebulous objects and other special effects. A digital stereo sound system also enhances planetarium's special effects.

Cockrell Butterfly Center, a butterfly zoo located in museum complex. Opening in 1994, the center is housed in a three-story glass building filled with tropical plants and butterflies. The center exhibits a large range of live butterflies, including the migratory monarchs and their tropical cousins, display cases of some other live insects, and a male iguana called Gandalph. The center also features the Entomology hall, exhibiting a wide range of mounted insects.

Wortham IMAX Theatre, a 396-seat theater presenting various films photographed in the IMAX format.

George Observatory, an astronomy observatory equipped with three domed telescopes, including a 36-inch Gueymard Research Telescope and a solar telescope. The facility is located south of Sugar Land, Texas at Brazos Bend State Park. The observatory also houses the Challenger Learning Center for Space Science Education.