The Light House

Permanent Exhibit

Ranging from radio waves to gamma rays, wavelengths are invisible to the human eye, except for the section of the spectrum known as visible light. In this exhibit, explore the science behind light and color.

A towering lighthouse shimmers with hundreds of mirror-like cubes that reflect a rainbow of light at the exhibit entrance. On a wall mural, animated spinning disks create intermittent light patterns that produce moving figures.

Fun-house mirror effects play havoc with your reflection. Stroll along one mirrored wall, and your body breaks into tiny bits; walk toward a parabolic mirror, and your image flips upside down and enlarges; stand before a checkerboard of mirrors, and your multiple reflections vanish if you shift.

Learn about the process of color addition by mixing different amounts of the three primary colors of light (red, blue, and green) to create light in any color.