A "Bee's Eye View"

These amazing pictures of Spring crocus (Crocus vernus) were taken by Norwegian scientist-cameraman Bjorn Roslett. The top picture was taken in natural light and the bottom one in ultraviolet light. The top picture shows how the flower looks to our human eyes. The bottom picture shows how the flower looks to an insect. See the three rings of color? These help guide insects to the center of the flower so they can find the pollen and nectar...kind of like "landing strips" that airplanes use to land on runways! Read more HERE

DO THIS AT HOME:
Draw your own flower! You can use plain paper, a coffee filter, paper plate, whatever you like. Email your pictures to marketing@amod.org and you might see your picture right here on our blog!

Do you want to be on TV?

At the Museum of Discovery, you can use our "green screen" to be a weather forecaster, newsperson or more. You can see yourself on the screen.

Electrical Safety Quiz!

So, how well do you know electrical safety?


1. What should you do when your toast is stuck in the toaster?





2. What should you do if you get caught in an electric storm?







3. What should you do if you see a down or low hanging power line?
4. What should you do if your kite gets caught in the power lines?
5. True/False: Electrical current can flow through concrete.

Scroll down for the answers....





Answers:
1. Unplug the toaster and use a wooden utensil to get the toast
2. Go inside immediately and stay away from windows
3. Stay away from it and call the electric company
4. Notify the utility company immediately
5. True

How many questions did you answer correctly? Let us know; leave a comment! Also...

Join us at the Museum for GET A CHARGE OUT OF ELECTRICITY, Sept 24-26. Showtimes for the INTERACTIVE magic show by Scott Davis are:
Thurs and Fri Sept 24 & 25: 10a.m., 12 noon and 2 p.m.
Saturday Sept 26 11:30a.m., 1 and 3 p.m.)
This presentation is perfect for all ages.

In the Words of Confucius: Just Do It!

Angela Burgess is on staff at the Museum and reminded us recently of the saying

I HEAR AND I FORGET

I SEE AND I REMEMBER

I DO AND I UNDERSTAND

How true! Research has shown that people learn best when they can actually DO what they are learning. For this reason, the Museum of Discovery provides HANDS-ON activities. For example, our BACKYARD SCIENCE exhibit has a “pollination station”

You can read about which bugs like which flowers, then match the bug to the flower using a digital puzzle piece. If you get it right, you hear a DING. If you get it wrong, a buzz. Fun! Come on by and try it!

Dinosaur Night at the Museum

Do you love dinosaurs? We do too!

DINOSAUR NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM!
For Museum and AETN Members
September 10, 5:30-7pm
Museum of Discovery
AETN and Museum members will enjoy refreshments, meet the Museum’s Lilo the Dinosaur, and watch a special episode of Dinosaur Train!

To celebrate of PBSKids’ new series DINOSAUR TRAIN the Museum of Discovery and Arkansas Educational Television Network (AETN) are teaming up to bring you a special “members only” event.

Not a member? Click HERE to become a Museum member or HERE to become an AETN member.

The thirty minute show is appropriate for ages 3-6 (although the adults here love it too) and features both live and animated segments. Best of all, we’ll learn while we’re entertained!


Get acquainted with the lovable characters as you learn and laugh with them


The thirty minute show features two animated segments and a live action segment featuring Dr. Scott Sampson, a dinosaur paleontologist and host of Discovery Channel’s series Dinosaur Planet.

We look forward to seeing all of you on the September 10!

Space Quiz

Take this quiz to see how space-savvy you are! The answers are below.

1. What event do astronomers believe began the universe?
2. What is the name of the first man-made object launched into space?
3. Which planet is named after the Roman God of War?
4. Which planet is the warmest?
5. True/False: The Universe is expanding.
6. Which planet is blue in color?
7. What is the most common element in the universe?
8. The moons of what planet are named after Shakespearean characters?
9. Who was the first man in space?
10. Which country had the first space station?
11. Which late night talk show host has a space treadmill named after him?
12. What type of animal was the first living creature to be launched into space?
13. Name one of the two planets that has no moons?
14. Name one of the two countries involved in the Space Race.
15. Name the first female in space.

Answers are below. REMEMBER to visit the Space Adventures exhibit at the Museum. The exhibit closes on August 30th, so you only have a few days left. Don’t miss it!

Answers:
1. Big Bang
2. Sputnik
3. Mars
4. Venus
5. True
6. Neptune
7. Helium
8. Uranus
9. Yuri Gagarin
10. Soviet Union
11. Steven Colbert
12. a dog named Laika
13. Mercury and Venus
14. The United States and the USSR
15. Sally Ride


Leave a comment! Tell us how many questions you got right, and share this quiz with your friends and family! Also, submit your own space trivia questions! Whoever posts the best trivia question will have their question posted on twitter and win a FREE PASS to the Museum! Submissions must be posted by September 10 to be eligible.

REMEMBER to visit the Space Adventures exhibit at the Museum. The exhibit closes on August 30th, so you only have a few days left. Don’t miss it!

Attention star gazers!

Alert Museum staffer Angi Burgess let us know about this cool thing coming up tomorrow night, Thursday, Aug 27!


SEE ANTARES
At nightfall on August 27, the first-quarter Moon is very near a brilliant bright star at nightfall. This star is the famous red star Antares A. Antares is the brightest star in the constellation of Scorpius—a red glow at the scorpion’s heart.

Antares is commonly mistaken for Mars because of its reddish hue, a fact shown by its name “Ant-Ares,” which means “like Mars,” with “Ares” being the Greek name for the god of war.

Antares is a true red supergiant, which means that it has consumed all of its hydrogen. This huge star is about 700 times the diameter of our own Sun and 10,000 times brighter.

Here is how the earth compares to the sun....




and how our sun compares to Antares. WOW!

Visit SPACE ADVENTURES, the exhibit, before it closes THIS SUNDAY August 30!

Ten Cool Facts About Space - Part 2

5. If two pieces of metal touch in space, they become permanently stuck together because the metal is not surrounded by oxidized matter! This is known as cold welding.

4. Some rocks found on Earth are actually pieces of Mars.

3. There are more stars in the sky than all of the grains of sand on earth.

2. In 1820, the universe was thought to be 6,000 years old. It is now thought to be between 15 and 20 billion years old.

1. The moon is moving away from Earth at a rate of about 3.8 cm each year.

TA-DA! There you have 'em. Fore more awesome space fun, visit the SPACE ADVENTURES exhibit, going on now through August 30.

Ten Cool Facts About Space - Part 1

Do you really know what’s going on in our universe? In honor of our exhibit Space Adventures, here are the top ten coolest facts about space:

10. The Sun makes up 99.86% of the Solar System's mass.

9. The Big Dipper is actually not a constellation, but an asterism.

8. A Comet's tail always points away from the sun.

7. According to scientists, Gold exists on Mars, Mercury, and Venus.

6. Footprints and tire tracks left behind by astronauts on the moon will stay there forever as there is no wind to blow them away.

STAY TUNED LATER THIS WEEK FOR 5 MORE COOL FACTS!



Thought that was interesting? Explore a whole world of Space Adventures, including a nostalgic look back at 1960s comics featuring space travel! The exhibit runs until August 30th.

Introducing Kristin Malek!

Welcome Kristin Malek, Twitter Editor

Kristin joined the Museum of Discovery’s Social Media Team in spring 2009 as our volunteer Twitter Editor. (What's Twitter? See below) Kristin is an avid runner, mom to Hannah, and wife to Marcus, who is currently serving on the Army Transition Training Team in Baqubah, Iraq.

We're so happy to have Kristin aboard! If you'd like to volunteer with the Museum's Social Media Team, contact Katie McManners at marketing@amod.org or (501) 396-7050 ext 214.

What is Twitter?
Twitter is a free online service that allows people to post short messages, or “tweets”, such as

Flat Stanley recently visited the Museum of Discovery and made some VERY colorful friends! Check out the pics! http://ow.ly/jRD2

These messages can be seen by anyone who chooses to “follow” the Museum. The messages can be read at the twitter web site and on handheld devices such as smart phones. Signing up and participating in Twitter is free (and awfully fun!).

The Museum send daily tweets about Museum exhibits, events, and breaking news. You can follow the Museum of Discovery's tweets @arkmod