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Crookes Radiometer... photo included My 5th grade class went on a field trip one day to the Space Planetarium. That morning my mother gave me a dollar to spend as I wished. I remember getting change for my dollar so I could buy a bag of peanuts from the vending machine for five cents. Part of the tour took us into the Planetarium store that has all kinds of really neat science and chemistry related things. One item that stood out in my mind was a Crookes Radiometer, named for the inventor... Sir William Crookes. The device also goes by the name of Solar Radiometer. Basically, it's a tiny weather vane inside a vacuum globe. One side of the vanes are painted black. When sunlight hits the vanes... the heat energy causes the vanes to turn... It's purpose is to demonstrate solar energy. When you remove the light, the vanes stop turning. It requires no batteries and as long as there is sunlight shining on the Radiometer, the vanes will continue to turn. Well, I wanted one, but it was a dollar and I only had 95 cents. So I went home without it. Many years ago, I had another chance to visit the Space Planetarium, this time it was for the Midnight Laser Light Show... with music from Pink Floyd. I walked into the same store some 45 years later and found they still sell Solar Radiometers.. This time the price was $20. The person I was with thought the price was outlandish and needless to say, I went home (again) without one ! I no longer eat peanuts and I really don't need a Crookes Radiometer, but I plan to buy one the next time I go to the planetarium (hopefully this year) that is if the price isn't $30. 
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The Miami Museum of Science and Space Transit Planetarium. They do laser light shows on the first Friday of each month.
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