Museum of Science

Join us this Saturday, November 14, to celebrate Native American Heritage Month! Our Blue Wing fills with community as we meet scientists like Dr. Rodrigo Córdova Rosado and José Arturo Soto Gamboa, experience the first live performances in our Charlotte and William Bloomberg Public Science Commons from the Eastern Medicine Singers, and connect with organizations like the Nolumbeka Project, which protects ancient multi-tribal village lands in the Connecticut River Valley, and the North American Indian Center of Boston, which has served Native communities for more than 50 years. Explore, ask questions, and discover ways to get involved. Get tickets: bit.ly/4zXYwup

See more from Alex Dainis here: youtube.com/watch?v=OJamXUeX…

Green leaves glow red. Red leaves glow green. Why? 🍁🧪 @AlexDainis extracted leaf pigments with isopropyl alcohol and hit them with UV light. Chlorophyll, freed from the leaf, can’t use the light for photosynthesis, so it glows red instead. Red leaves have lost most of their chlorophyll, revealing a faint green glow from other compounds.

🌲 Forest soils in southwestern Germany are absorbing more methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. Across 13 sites measured for up to 24 years, uptake rose about 3% per year as conditions turned warmer and drier.

What song would you want to wake up to on the way to the Moon? At @SCICOMSummit, @NASA’s Brittany Brown shared the story behind the Artemis II crew’s wake-up songs. She knew the songs in advance, but the rules said no playlist. Then the public kept asking, and by Flight Day 3, she decided it was time to share them.

🧩 What’s one science question you asked as a kid that you still think about?

One spacecraft is on the verge of a historic milestone. 🚀 @NASA’s Voyager 1 will reach a full light-day from Earth on Wednesday, November 18. That means a signal sent from Earth takes an entire day to reach it. Launched in 1977 and built to last about 13 years, it still has power and remains the farthest object humanity has ever sent into space.

🔭 For 170 years, astronomers wondered if a giant planet was tugging on a star in the 70 Ophiuchi system, just 16 light-years away. A new study shows the wobble came from stellar activity instead.

On Saturday, November 14, explore what it means to give nature legal rights with the award-winning documentary “Invisible Hand” as part of our Native American Heritage Month Celebration. Get tickets for free here: bit.ly/4feQEwC

What does one of the smallest animals on the planet look like under a microscope? 🔬 Quinten Geldhof, also known as Microhobbyist, zooms in on the gastrotrich. This creature is smaller than many single-celled organisms; it still has a brain, muscles, a digestive tract, and sensory organs. Tiny cilia let it glide along, while sticky glands in its rear help it anchor in place. There are more than 800 species of gastrotrichs that live in waters worldwide, but they only live a few days, spending their time snacking on organic scraps and reproducing.

📚 What’s one science book, show, or documentary you’d recommend to anyone?

Fireballs are about to streak across the night sky, so look up! 🌠 The Leonids return this month, flying from November 6th through the 30th and peaking overnight on the 16th into the 17th. Even better, the first quarter moon dips below the horizon around midnight on peak night. That means darker skies just when the Leonids hit their stride, so grab a spot and start counting meteors.

Did you know there are more than three states of matter? ⚡ Astrophysicist @ErikaHamden breaks down plasma, which forms when electrons are stripped from a material. The result is highly ionized, super energetic matter. You’ve experienced plasma in the Sun, fire, and true neon lights (not LEDs)! This project is part of IF/THEN®, an initiative of Lyda Hill Philanthropies.

🧫 Scientists found a bacterial “Pac-Man enzyme” that breaks down certain polyester bioplastics and also breaks down penicillin. It’s nicknamed for the unusually wide-open spot where its chemical reactions happen.

On November 10 at 7:00pm, join astrophysicists Dr. John Lewis and Dr. Pat Udomprasert under the Planetarium dome as they trace Voyager 1’s nearly 50-year journey to the edge of the solar system and beyond. Through immersive fulldome data visualizations, explore how humanity’s farthest explorer reached a distance so vast that its signals take a full 24 hours to reach us. Stay afterward for a reception with light refreshments outside the Planetarium. 🎟 Register for free: bit.ly/4AkF6jU

The Northern Taurid meteor shower is here! 🌠 Active from October 20th to December 10th, this meteor shower peaks overnight November 11th to 12th. For the best view of the Northern Taurids, head outside and look up around midnight.

🦠 What’s the strangest living thing you’ve ever heard about?

On Friday and Saturday evenings, November 6 through December 12, witness Japan plunge from zero into minus as "Godzilla Minus Zero” brings the iconic monster to a breathtaking conclusion on the five-story dome of the Mugar Omni Theater. 🎟️ Get tickets: bit.ly/4yUVoyK

What does it look like when Moon scientists watch discovery happen in real time? 🌕 At SciCom Summit at the Museum of Science, @NASA Strategic Communications Lead Rachel Barry shared the story behind her viral photos of the lunar science team. After two years of sitting in on their meetings, simulations, and fieldwork, Barry set out to help audiences get to know the people behind the science and see their excitement as it happened. #SciComSummit #NASA #Space #Artemis #Moon

Experience an unforgettable evening with TJ Klune, acclaimed author of The House in the Cerulean Sea. 📚 On November 20 at 7:00pm, join him for a fireside chat as he explores themes of identity, memory, reality, and the power of speculative fiction to reimagine our future. Every ticket includes a signed copy of his book and an exclusive signing opportunity with TJ. 🎟 Get tickets: bit.ly/4Bz2Fqt