During a recent conversation with a friend, this writer learned that even locals forget we have an array of museums in the valley, filled to the brim with all kinds of fascinating information and artifacts. And one of the most fascinating of them, Atomic Museum Vegas, keeps an ever-changing catalog of exhibits about topics surrounding the Nevada Test Site, a nuclear testing facility just 65 miles north of Vegas.
Photo by: Christopher DeVargas
By strolling from display to display, visitors gain an understanding of what global factors necessitated the test site, the way the facility affected Las Vegas locals and the pop culture boom that emerged from the general public’s fascination with the work they were doing out in the middle of the desert. While this expansive coverage certainly gives an in-depth understanding of nuclear testing in the context of building weaponry, museum curators realized that most people have limited knowledge of atoms, reactions and radiation in any other sense. That’s why at the beginning of this year, Atomic Museum Vegas opened its Atomic Odyssey exhibit, an interactive experience that’s both a refresher for anyone who’s forgotten what they studied in school and an easily digestible lesson for young ones who haven’t learned about atoms yet.
Enter this part of the exhibit off the main lobby before entering the main museum to learn about elements, nuclear reactions and so much more. Stop at the interactive table in the first room to build a few atoms, increasing in difficulty. Because the exhibit is intended to educate, visitors will find themselves needing information from the various wall displays to complete this task. Once basics are established, head to the next rooms to find more interactive elements.
Photo by: Christopher DeVargas
Step up to arcade-style fusion and fission simulators to participate in some beginner-friendly reaction experiments. These gamelike elements make what would otherwise be an advanced topic very accessible to most people, including school-aged children. Museum curators have simply done an excellent job of making complex information very understandable and interesting.
After splitting some nuclei, dive into the world of radiation, a word that sometimes intimidates people. Typically when we think of radiation we think of things like microwaves, X-rays and nuclear waste, but the reality is we’re surrounded by radiation all the time. And what this portion of the walk through explains excellently is that there are many different kinds of radiation that can do many different things. The interactive activity lets visitors simulate how different types of radiation pass through various materials, offering a greater understanding of how the waves affect us in our lives. In fact, you’ll even learn that we spontaneously emit small amounts of radiation. How neat!
Funky mood lighting and glowing displays make for great ambience in this space, but some of the most visually striking elements come in the form of lenticular art by James Stanford. These glowing, colorful visual works explore the atomic theme through a creative lens, making the Atomic Odyssey an engaging journey. And that’s just the beginning!
755 E. Flamingo Road, 702.409.7366. atomicmuseum.vegas
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