The Return of Planet Zelatron

Every August I ask myself why we decided to build an immersive blacklight museum exhibit in a room cooled by nothing more than a swamp cooler... and then I remember that Planet Zelatron is hot.

I originally created Planet Zelatron as a cheeky way to showcase our collection of fluorescent minerals and meteorites during the Area 29 Galactic Gathering. I figured if Twentynine Palms was going to spend a weekend celebrating UFOs, dark skies, and the Perseid meteor shower, it was a great excuse to get crafty. “We’ll make some artifacts,” I said.

Three years later, that little idea has grown into an entire alien world. What started with a few glowing rocks has evolved into a natural history museum filled with hand-sculpted insects, giant flowers, ancient artifacts, and enough lore to make it all seem kind of real. The fact that the exhibit is on display during the hottest weeks of the year? Well, of course it’s hot. How else would everything glow??

Planet Zelatron, our immersive blacklight exhibit inside the Mojave Moon Museum of Natural Curiosities in Twentynine Palms, California

Planet Zelatron: Where the stories are made up, but the science is real.

Every specimen in Planet Zelatron begins with a real scientific fact.

One of my favorite parts of creating the exhibit has been researching real geology and biology to imagine how those same natural processes might unfold on another planet. From glowing crystals and ancient Star Tablets to hand-painted alien insects, every specimen is accompanied by a museum card that begins with real science before drifting into fictional Zelatronian lore..

A Firebloom Cicada on display from the world of Planet Zelatron

The line between science and storytelling is intentionally a little blurry. If you catch yourself Googling whether or not a Firebloom Cicada is real... don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Planet Zelatron opens August 14th for Area 29, and continues during our regular store hours through September 6th.