Over the July 4th holiday, we went to Washington DC for a nice vacation. Of everything we saw, what was particularly interesting and impressive was the Smithsonian Natural History Museum’s Temporary Exhibit on light pollution called Lights Out: Recovering Our Night Sky.

Running until December 2025, the exhibit has “over 100 photographs, nearly 250 objects, interactive experiences, tactile models, and a theater program,” to help visitors “discover why dark nights matter, rekindle your connection with the night sky, and consider how much light at night is enough—for whom, for what purpose, and who gets to decide?”

Our experience at the exhibit is that it was not only busy, but really impressive. With other exhibits like the Hall of Human Origins and the Fossil exhibits, those visiting the exhibit are already interested in science. However, what made the exhibit really interesting and different to us is that not only did the exhibit take the time to explain what light pollution is, but took the time to present the issue in a different light. The pun is fully intended!

This approach that the exhibit took was to explore the issue of light pollution, etc… The benefit of this approach is that it isn’t too scientific, not too detailed, is approachable, and is really engaging. With an exhibit like Lights Out done the way it was done, it allows people to understand the issue, benefits, and connect in a way that isn’t often done. By presenting the issue in such a public forum and present the issue as a cultural, natural, and a bit of an economic issue, the exhibit allows people to take their own angle and experiences to approach the topic. And by taking this approach, the exhibit really allows those new to the topic to find a reason to care about light pollution. And once people have a reason to care, the hope is that the visitors take the next steps to further research the topic and engage others!

Make sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and make sure to view our other material like this, such as unique astronomy sites for unique places to view astronomy in the Pacific Northwest and cool articles like this. Make sure to check out our website for other articles like this and let us know what else you would like to see.