A visit to the Natural History Museum in London may be a long trip for some people, but you can see its latest exhibit in a really awesome way. The museum posted a time-lapse video of its installation of an entire blue whale skeleton, and even from a distance, it’s incredible.
https://www.facebook.com/naturalhistorymuseum/videos/10154455392821537/
This 25.2 meter-long beauty hangs in the center of London’s spectacular Hintze Hall, allowing visitors to walk beneath the largest creature ever to have lived.
The female blue whale is named Hope as a symbol of humanity’s power to shape a sustainable future. As one of the first species humans committed to saving on a global scale after they were hunted nearly to extinction, this beautiful installment’s placement at the center of the hall seems fitting.
Hope is not the only new specimen in Hintze Hall. She will be joined by hundreds of others chosen to celebrate the wonders of the natural world.
The director of the museum, Sir Michael Dixon, stressed the importance of its new collections and looking to the future.
“It is within the grasp of humanity to shape a future that is sustainable, and now more than ever we want our galleries and exhibitions to inspire a love of the natural world, and our scientific expertise to inform solutions to the big, global challenges we face,” he said.
Hope has already represented a defining moment in the lives of curators and conservation teams, and the museum hopes she will inspire a new generation of visitors when doors open Friday.
If the video isn’t enough for you, can visit the hall starting at 10am local time on July 14, and admission is free.