What exactly goes on when the lights go out?

Find out at a new exhibition at Paris’ Natural History Museum. Entitled ‘Nuit’, the show takes visitors on a nocturnal journey through animal behaviour, biology, astrology and man’s imagination.

Apart from answering questions like ‘Why does it get dark?’ and ‘Why do the stars shine?’, the exhibition aims at raising awareness about the harmful effects of human behaviour:

“A lot of nocturnal animals orient themselves thanks to the stars’ position in the sky, it’s something we’ve only started exploring recently. When there is light pollution, the animals can’t see the stars and they lose their landmarks. Another problem is when they respond to sources of artificial light they are not familiar with and get trapped. Take the example of moths that fly endlessly around street lamps or migratory birds that stray from their path and end up dying from exhaustion,” says one of the exhibition’s curators, Didier-Julien Laferrière.

Covering 1,000 square metres, the exhibition is divided into four parts: nature at night, the sky at night, a night of sleep and monsters of the night.

Visitors can take an active part in the show through interactive games and sound and visual effects.

‘Nuit’ runs at the Evolution Gallery in Paris’ Natural History Museum until 3 November.