Date Night on the Moon

Photo by NASA on Unsplash

When planning for Vegas a few weeks back, I found one attraction that I COULD NOT miss. The Illuminarium. This two room attraction was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen in my life. As soon as you have your tickets punched and hand stamped, you first walk out to the most gorgeous patio bar, overflowing with greenery and comfy seating.

Crystal Wall - by Kari, taken at Illuminarium, Las Vegas

Grab yourself a cocktail, and head into room number one. In this room, all walls are projected with a revolving series of images - from crystal caves to gardenscapes and even downtown Tokyo. Each scene sticks around for a few minutes, changing colors and rhythmically moving to the soft music playing in the background. This room is just the precursor to the main event though - and in the case of our special date night, that main event was Space. Specifically images and videos from the James Webb Space Telescope.

Earth from Moon - by Kari, taken at Illuminarium, Las Vegas

The show starts off on Earth - Cape Kennedy 1969 to be exact - as the American rockets are taking off for our Apollo 11 moon landing. As we shoot off into space we see the Earth getting smaller as the Moon starts approaching. We land, and we walk. But this show isn’t just one to watch - it’s interactive. Once landing has finished, and the scene is set - as you walk around the room to check out your surroundings you leave behind your very own footprints on the Moon. If you can manage to look up from the floor, you notice slowly your scene changing again. Instead of the Apollo 11 Astronauts and materials around you, you are graced with a scene from the future - with an entire city set in the distance, and the Apollo 11 craft left in what could be seen as a “space dump,” surrounded by other broken tools and building materials.

The Moon - by Kari, taken at Illuminarium, Las Vegas

From the Moon, we move deeper into space - landing eventually in the Kuiper Belt where you are surrounded by asteroids. The interactive element in this section is really fun - as you walk across the meteors they explode! Soon you are surrounded instead of by asteroids, by exploding Supernovas creating whole new galaxies right in front of your eyes.

Collage of Nebulas - by Kari, taken at Illuminarium, Las Vegas

To say this is the most amazing show in Vegas is to sell it short - it is not JUST a show - it is an entire interactive experience that absolutely canNOT be missed.

Dancing Across the Stars - by Kari, taken at Illuminarium, Las Vegas

Being in a place like this makes one feel so small. To be such a tiny speck in such a massive and ever expanding universe is humbling and awe-inspiring at the same time.

Image Created by Imagine AI