'Powers of Nature' exhibition to open at N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences
… "Ocean
cracks could spawn tidal waves"
… "Officials warn against complacency on hurricanes"
… "Storm interrupts activities in
Triangle"
… "Lightning kills
3"
…
"N.C. remains dangerously dry"
September
26, 2002
For Immediate Release
Contacts:
Karen Kemp (919) 733-7450,
ext. 304 or Marjorie Terry
(919) 733-7450, ext. 305
(RALEIGH)-As news headlines remind us, phenomenal forces are constantly at work all around the world. Take lightning, for instance. Up to two million volts of electricity snakes through the sky as often as 25,000 times an hour across America—and strikes more people in North Carolina than in any state except Florida.
Do you feel safe from tsunamis—those giant waves caused by earthquakes, landslides and volcanoes? Geologists have found undersea cracks along the Virginia/North Carolina coast similar to those that caused the 1998 tsunami that devastated villages in Papua New Guinea.
"Powers of Nature," a traveling exhibition from Philadelphia's Franklin Institute Science Museum, lets you explore the amazing powers of this awesome realm of science. The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences will host the exhibition—locally sponsored by Progress Energy—from October 19, 2002 through February 16, 2003.
In the 7,500-square-foot exhibition, you can see the science behind natural disasters- how natural forces unleash their fury, how experts predict natural events, how we can protect ourselves, and how these forces affect our lives. You can experience nature's strength through more than 50 interactive exhibits, video presentations and real artifacts that give witness to the might of natural forces. Step into the eye of a hurricane, under a volcanic inferno, through the ferocity of a tornado, and between the shifting plates of an earthquake. Hear personal stories of people who have survived natural disasters. In this hands-on exhibition you can:
- Whip up a six-foot "tornado in a tank."
- Juggle the Earth's crustal plates on a global puzzle.
- Create your own thunderstorm by seeding clouds.
- Fly into the eye of a hurricane from the cockpit of a real storm-chasing plane.
- Jumpstart an earthquake that measures on a real seismograph.
The exhibition has three main sections:
Anatomy of a storm
In this exhibition area, you'll find out how storms form and what combinations of elements produce the worst weather situations. On Sept. 8, 1900, the worst hurricane on record in North America hit Galveston, Texas. Film and audio clips take you back in time to witness the destructive force of this storm, which claimed 6,000 lives.
One testament to the power of hurricane winds is up-close and touchable: a 16-foot tree bent at a 90-degree angle by Hurricane Hugo, which hit Charleston, S.C. in 1989. You can climb into the cockpit of a P3 Orion hurricane plane—the same one used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration—to find out what it is like to fly into the eye of a hurricane.
Videos and satellite images show how cloud formations develop, and how temperature and humidity measurements trace the formation of storms. You can concoct your own thunderstorm by filling a "cloud" with water.
How far away was that bolt of lightning? A recreated storm helps you calculate distance based on the time lapse between the strike and the sound of thunder. Video from the National Lightning Detection Network shows lightning striking nationwide, as often as 25,000 times an hour! This exhibition area includes a cast of the largest known hailstone.
Earthquakes
Sudden shifts in the Earth's crust caused by crustal plates shifting or colliding lead to earthquakes. Explore the forces driving the volatile nature of the inner planet in the earthquake exhibition area. You can create your own ground vibrations by jumping on a seismograph. The device will gauge the force you exert and compare your jump to the force of plates shifting beneath Earth's crust. Or try your hand at building structures that can withstand a serious shaking. You can even simulate the forces that split a California coastal road in half.
Volcanoes
Volcanoes erupt when molten rock expands, builds pressure and bursts through the Earth's surface. In this exhibition area, see images from the eruption of Mount St. Helens, as well as pieces of ash and pumice that spewed into the air. Several hands-on devices illustrate the power of volcanoes. Enter the simulated interior of a volcano to experience the sights and sounds, minus the 1,000-degree-Celsius temperature. You can even make your own miniature eruption.
"Powers of Nature" was designed and developed by The Franklin Institute Science Museum for the Science Exhibit Museum Collaborative, and funded by the National Science Foundation, Science Museum Exhibit Collaborative, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and Day & Zimmermann, Inc.
Admission to "Powers of Nature" is $5 for adults, $3 for children 4-11 and for seniors over 60. Admission is free for Friends of the Museum and children 3 and under.
Related
special events
Oct. 19,
Nov. 16, Dec. 31 (First Night), and Jan. 18 (Astronomy Day)
During these "Powers of Nature" special event days, meet the entertaining, wise-cracking personality Awesome Powers, who will introduce you to natural forces and perform sleights of hand. Enjoy hands-on exhibits, make-and-take activities, and "Captain Cumulous and the Weather Machine", a special auditorium program at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. (Oct. 19 and Nov. 16 only). On Nov. 16, you can also hear amazing stories from lightning strike survivors. Please check the Museum's Web site or call 919/733-7450, ext. 503 for details.
Available
images
Activities,
Artifacts & Video
Back to Powers of Nature Press Kit
The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, in downtown Raleigh, documents and interprets the natural history of the state of North Carolina through exhibits, research, collections, publications, and educational programming. Hours: Mon.-Sat., 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sun., noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free. Visit the Museum on the web at www.naturalsciences.org. The Museum is an agency of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, William G. Ross Jr., Secretary.
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