The landscapes of the island of Tenerife are often called cosmic — at least, the area near the Teide volcano is characterized in this way. But there is a museum on the island where you can see the real lunar surface and look into the depths of the universe. It is the Museum of Science and the Cosmos which is near Santa Cruz de Tenerife. It was opened in 1993 with the support of the Canary Institute of Astrophysics, and its goal is to initiate everyone into the mysteries of space.
What methods are used for this? For example, here, even children are allowed to take a walk on the moon. Agree, no other entertainment in Tenerife compares to this! You can walk with your fingers — on a giant interactive map of the Earth's satellite. Look into a black hole, look down on our solar system, and take in the Earth's landscapes with the eyes of an alien. The interactive exhibits of the Museo de la Ciencia y el Cosmos help you understand why the seasons change on Earth, what causes the tides to ebb and flow, and how weather forecasters make a weather forecast.
The museum's planetarium is also worth a visit. A state-of-the-art projection system will transport you to other planets and give you a glimpse into the microcosm. There are special educational cartoons for children. And on the museum's roof, there's a radio telescope through which you can see real stars.
Beyond space exploration, the Science and Space Museum in Tenerife focuses on other topics. For instance, permanent exhibitions are entitled "The Human Body" and "How Does It Work?". Don't be surprised if, after a tour, a child refers to a walk-in kindergarten as Brownian motion — a phenomenon illustrated by one of the museum's exhibits.
To make your children's holiday in the Canaries informative, visit the other museums in Tenerife: History and Anthropology and Nature and Man. The former is 2 km from the Science and Space Museum, the latter in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
