Staten+island+museum

The Staten Island Museum Natural science exhibit has many fascinating aspects: from taxidermy, to meteorites, to rocks and minerals. One of the most beautiful and fascinating exhibits in the natural science part of the museum is the Fluorescence Rocks. As you enter the dark, curtain sealed room, you see the rocks begin to glow; you hear a voice that explains to you what you are seeing and how the rocks are glowing. The experience is truly memorable, by entering the room, you get to see rocks from around the world which have properties and impurities which leads them to produce a stunning view under u-v light. Without the blacklight, they are just seemingly regular rocks, but with the blacklight, these rocks glow in shades of brilliant reds, stunning oranges, relaxing blues and greens. Different shades for different species and even the same species' glows can be different The science behind these rocks are that the u-v light excites the atoms and they jump into higher levels as they fall back down they emit the glow that we are lucky enough to see. The science might rationalize the glowing but the beauty humanizes the science. As the daughter of a geologist, I am lucky enough to enjoy both the science and the beauty that are the fluorescence rocks. The Natural science exhibit is both beautiful and fascinating. The Staten Island hall of natural science.