The Phantom of the Opera's Portrait Parlor introduces the principles of atoms and matter as the building blocks of the universe. Large framed portraits present the characters who assist visitors in their journey to gain a greater understanding of the role of atoms in matter and energy.
Interactive exhibits illustrate the minute size of an atom, atomic structure and characteristics.
A multimedia interactive computer station enables visitors to test their understanding. This nine-minute video production provides visitors with a sense of the relative size of an atom and shows how matter is mostly empty space. It begins in a park in Chicago, magnifying a part of a man's hand by a factor of 10, every 10 seconds, continuing to the edge of the resolution of an atom. The video then takes visitors on a journey to the edge of the universe in the same manner. The cloud chamber works under a simple physical principle.