Editing Microcosm (CERN)

{{Short description|Museum at CERN in Meyrin (Switzerland)}}
{{Infobox museum
| name                = 
| native_name         = 
| native_name_lang    = 
| logo                = 
| logo_upright        = 
| logo_alt            = 
| logo_caption        = 
| image               = 
| image_upright       = 
| alt                 = 
| caption             = 
| map_type            = 
| map_relief          = 
| map_size            = 
| map_caption         = 
| coordinates         = <!-- {{Coord|46.2326432|6.0557499|display=title}}-->
| former_name         = 
| established         = <!-- {{Start date|1990|MM|DD|df=y}} -->
| dissolved           = <!-- {{End date|2022|09|14|df=y}} -->
| location            = 
| type                = 
| accreditation       = 
| key_holdings        = 
| collections         = 
| collection_size     = 
| visitors            = 
| founder             = 
| executive_director  = 
| leader_type         = 
| leader              = 
| director            = 
| president           = 
| ceo                 = 
| chairperson         = 
| curator             = 
| architect           = 
| historian           = 
| owner               = 
| publictransit       = 
| car_park            = 
| parking             = 
| network             = 
| website             = <!-- {{URL|https://visit.cern/exhibitions/microcosm}} -->
| embedded            = 
}}

[[File:Microcosm exhibition.jpg|thumb|Microcosm exhibition at CERN]]

'''Microcosm''' or '''CERN Museum''' was an interactive exhibition presenting the work of the [[CERN]] [[particle physics]] laboratory and its flagship accelerator the [[Large Hadron Collider]] (LHC). It first opened to the public in 1990 and closed permanently in September 2022, to be replaced by the ''Science Gateway'' in 2023.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://home.cern/news/news/cern/microcosm-30-years-telling-cerns-story | title=Microcosm, 30 years telling CERN's story | date=18 July 2024 }}</ref> The final version of the exhibition opened in January 2016,<ref>{{Cite web|title = La nouvelle expo du Cern vous rend presque chercheur|url = http://www.ledauphine.com/haute-savoie/2016/01/18/la-nouvelle-expo-du-cern-vous-rend-presque-chercheur|website = www.ledauphine.com|access-date = 2016-01-20}}</ref> developed by CERN in collaboration with Spanish design team Indissoluble.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Indissoluble. We create spaces that communicate. Temporary architecture, interior design, interaction and assembling for exhibitions, stands and museums|url = http://indissoluble.com|website = indissoluble.com|date = 2012-12-21|access-date = 2016-01-18|last = indissoluble.com}}</ref>

== History ==
The project was approved by the CERN Directorate in February 1988. The initial construction, to a large extent completed in 1989, was financed through contributions from the [[Canton of Geneva]], the [[Swiss Confederation]], neighbouring [[France]], banks, and industrial firms.<ref name=CERN_FC_3197 >{{cite report |date=21 November 1988 |title=Gifts for the Implementation of the Microcosm Project  |url=https://cds.cern.ch/record/31587?ln=en |publisher=CERN |docket=CERN/1721 ; CERN/FC/3197}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Hentsch |first1=Guy|last2=Kienzle |first2=Werner |last3=Jacob |first3=Maurice|date=4 December 1989 |title=Microcosm |url=https://cds.cern.ch/record/1723559/files/49-1989.pdf |magazine=Bulletin |location=Geneva |publisher=CERN}}</ref>

[[File:CMS life-size model at Microcosm exhibition.jpg|thumb|CMS life-size model]]

== Main exhibits ==
The exhibition displayed many real objects, taking visitors on a journey through CERN's key installations, from the [[hydrogen]] bottle, source of the [[proton]]s that are injected into the LHC, through the first step in the accelerator chain, the [[Linear particle accelerator|linac]], on to a model of a section of the Large Hadron Collider including elements from the [[superconducting magnet]]s. Visitors could interact with the displays to try their hand at the controls of a [[particle accelerator]] – simulating the acceleration of protons in the LHC and bringing them into collision inside the [[List of Large Hadron Collider experiments|experiments]].

The exhibition contained a 1:1 scale model of a complete slice through the [[Compact Muon Solenoid|CMS]] experiment at the LHC. The computing section displayed some of the [[Oracle Corporation|Oracle]] data tapes used to store the 30-40 [[petabyte]]s of data produced yearly by the experiments, made available for analysis using the [[Worldwide LHC Computing Grid|LHC Computing GRID.]] The annex to the exhibition contained other historical artifacts such as the central tracker from the [[UA1 experiment|UA1]] detector, which ran at the [[Super Proton Synchrotron]] at CERN from 1981 to 1984, and helped discover the [[W and Z bosons]].

== Special projects ==
A project began in 2013 to preserve the original hardware and software associated with the birth of the [[History of the World Wide Web|World Wide Web]]. This effort coincided with the 20th anniversary of the research center giving the web to the world.<ref>{{cite news|title=Cern re-creating first web page to revere early ideals|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-22249490 |accessdate=30 April 2013|authorlink=Pallab Ghosh |first=Pallab|last=Ghosh|work=BBC News |date=22 April 2013 }}</ref>

== Microcosm garden ==
The '''Microcosm garden''' is named [[List of streets at CERN|Léon Van Hove Square]] in honour of [[Léon Van Hove|CERN's Research Director-General from 1976 to 1980]].<ref>{{cite magazine |date=17 December 1990 |title=Microcosm |url=https://cds.cern.ch/record/1723971/files/51-52-1990.pdf |magazine=Bulletin |location=Geneva |publisher=CERN}}</ref> The garden features several large components of old CERN experiments.
<gallery>
Image:Microcosm_Garden.jpg|The garden view
Image:Microcosm 0048.jpg|General view of the Detectors room
Image:Microcosm 0017.jpg|Entrance to the exhibition
Image:Microcosm 0031.jpg|Introduction to the particles room
Image:Big_European_Bubble_Chamber.jpg|The [[Big European Bubble Chamber]]
Image:LEP_RF.jpg|An [[RF cavity]] from the [[Large Electron–Positron Collider]]
Image:Microcosm_initial_accelerator.jpg|Initial stages of an old [[particle accelerator]]
Image:CERN-Introduction to the particles room.jpg|Particles room also features an interactive [[cloud chamber]] - device capable of displaying normally undetectable traces of [[radiation]]
Image:Microcosm 0028.jpg|Measuring energy detector
Image:Microcosm 0037.jpg|Detectors room
Image:Microcosm 0006.jpg|DATA room
Image:Microcosm 0011.jpg|LHC control room
Image:UA1.jpg|The central section of the [[UA1 experiment]] on display at the Microcosm museum
</gallery>

== Location ==
Microcosm was located at [[CERN]] in the [[Canton of Geneva]], Switzerland, near the town of [[Meyrin]]. Entrance was free, without reservation, open 6 days a week.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Practical Information {{!}} MICROCOSM|url = http://microcosm.web.cern.ch/en/practical-information|website = microcosm.web.cern.ch|access-date = 2016-01-18|archive-date = 2016-01-28|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160128011309/http://microcosm.web.cern.ch/en/practical-information|url-status = dead}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Microcosm (CERN)}}
*[https://visit.cern/microcosm CERN Microcosm Webpage]
*[http://indissoluble.com/fs/ INDISSOLUBLE]

{{CERN}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Science museums in Switzerland]]
[[Category:Museums in the canton of Geneva]]
[[Category:CERN]]