Showing 1 - 35 of 35 Things to Make and Do

Planetarium INTERACTIVE View the night sky from any latitude on earth, and take a guided tour of the Hawaiian star families. TRY IT

Seasons and Shadows HANDS-ON Why is your shadow longer in winter than in summer? Grab a basketball and some paperclips and find out! MAKE IT

Modeling the Seasons HANDS-ON See for yourself how the tilt of the earth's axis results in what we experience as the seasons. MAKE IT

Your Age on Other Worlds Find out why people who love birthday parties should move to Mercury. VIEW IT

Your Weight on Other Worlds Ever wonder what you might weigh on Mars or the moon? Here's your chance to find out. VIEW IT

Solar Images: Tools Through Time ARTICLE The more astronomy changes, the more it stays the same. This series of images juxtaposes ancient and modern study of the celestial bodies. READ IT

Build a Solar System Make a scale model of the Solar System and learn the REAL definition of "space." VIEW IT

Make Your Own Telescope HANDS-ON Make your own refracting telescope from a pair of reading glasses. MAKE IT

Center of the Universe INTERACTIVE Where is the Center of the Universe? Here, there, and everywhere. TRY IT

Using UV Beads HANDS-ON Study ultraviolet radiation from the sun and other sources using UV beads. MAKE IT

Liquid Crystal IR Detector HANDS-ON Use a sheet of liquid crystal to learn about how infrared cameras work. MAKE IT

Mars Viewer INTERACTIVE Investigate actual images of the Martian surface taken by the rovers Spirit and Opportunity. TRY IT

In Seach of Martians ARTICLE Is there life on Mars? Our best evidence so far is a baked-potato-sized chunk of rock found in Antarctica. READ IT

Solar Brightness HANDS-ON Use a lamp and a grease spot to estimate the power output of the sun. MAKE IT

Simulated X-Ray Activity HANDS-ON Here's how you can model the use of X rays for medical examinations with some sand and a piece of screen. MAKE IT

The Sky Is Falling ARTICLE Sometimes we can learn about outer space when space objects come to us. READ IT

Seasons and Alignments ARTICLE Does the sun rise in the east? Not exactly. READ IT

Mapping Sunspots Gather and compare real data about sunspots and solar x-ray activity. VIEW IT

Imagine Yourself on Mars HANDS-ON Exploring the Martian Environment MAKE IT

Journey to Mars: Links Find links relevant to Mars and space exploration. VIEW IT

Hubble: Panoramas INTERACTIVE A collection of QuickTimeVR panoramas TRY IT

Geiger or Scintillation Counter HANDS-ON What does it take to block gamma radiation? MAKE IT

Chichén Itzá ARTICLE A brief history of Chichén Itzá. READ IT

How Old Is It? Dating at Chaco Canyon ARTICLE How do scientists establish the age of artifacts, rocks, and settlements? READ IT

Build Your Own Spectroscope HANDS-ON Build your own spectroscope, a device to analyze the spectrum of light. MAKE IT

The Mayan Calendar Round HANDS-ON Did you know the Maya used two calendars? How did they know when to plan their big New Year's parties? MAKE IT

Robotic Scientists Land on Mars ARTICLE Meet the robotic explorers that landed on Mars in 2004, and check out their tools and instruments. READ IT

Rambling Red Rover HANDS-ON The Instruments Aboard the Mars Exploration Rover MAKE IT

Picture This INTERACTIVE Learn how Hubble Telescope scientists put together those lovely pictures. TRY IT

Martian Snowflakes ARTICLE What do snowflakes look like on Mars? READ IT

Martian Microbes? HANDS-ON Looking for Clues to Ancient Life on the Red Planet MAKE IT

Astronomy in Antarctica ARTICLE What makes Antarctica inhospitable to life also makes it ideal for astronomy. READ IT

About Chaco Canyon ARTICLE What brings archeologists and astronomers alike to this ten-mile canyon in remote New Mexico? READ IT

Aurora ARTICLE Darkening polar skies often bring beautiful light displays. READ IT

About Alignments ARTICLE The Maya were expert sky-watchers, careful observers of the motions of the celestial bodies... READ IT

Showing 1 - 20 of 30 Websites

Never Lost: Polynesian Navigation Imagine yourself in the middle of the vast Pacific Ocean. You've been sailing for weeks, and there's no land in sight. Do you know where you are? Do you know which way to go?

Total Solar Eclipse: Live From Turkey On March 29, 2006, a total solar eclipse occurred when the new moon moved directly between the sun and the earth. The moon’s shadow fell on the eastern tip of Brazil, sped eastward across the Atlantic, through northern Africa, across the Mediterranean, an

Ancient Observatories Journey into Chaco Canyon, where ancient people built monuments to the cosmos. Journey to Chichén Itzá, where the Maya built monuments to the sun.

Journey to Mars Learn about the rovers that have been exploring Mars since 2004, and view the amazing images they've taken.

Chichén Itzá Explore the ancient knowledge of the Maya, who built sophisticated monuments to the sun.

China Eclipse Dispatches 2008 Follow us in the remote Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwestern China near the Mongolian border.

Saturn: Jewel of the Solar System Explore Saturn, its rings and moons, and see the latest images.

Hubble: A View to the Edge of Space Join us as we visit the Hubble Space Telescope, and see what's happening at Mission Control.

Space Weather: Research Explorer Use live data to check the weather in space, and learn how it can affect us here on earth.

Chaco Canyon Come with us to Chaco Canyon in northwestern New Mexico, which is rich with thousand-year-old artifacts of the ancient Pueblo culture and contains sites that appear to have been astronomical observatories.

Solar Max Explore our 2000 guide to the solar max, the period in the solar cycle during which the number of sunspots is greatest.

Solar Eclipse: Stories from the Path of Totality Explore stories, dispatches, photos, articles, and archived Webcasts of total solar eclipses from 1998 to 2010.

Astrobiology: The Search for Life Learn about the search for life elsewhere in the universe.

Light and Landscape: The Science and Art of Perception Explore the mysterious interactions between light and geography through the eyes and works of artists Charles Ross and James Turrell.

Sunspots Map sunspots and build an apparatus for safe sunspot viewing!

Zambia Eclipse Dispatches 2001 Join our Exploratorium production team as we traveled to Zambia in 2001 to broadcast the June 21st total solar eclipse live to the world.

The Red Planet: Up Close and Personal

Transit of Venus: The Rarest Eclipse Learn about the transit of Venus - what it is, what you'll see, and why it's important. View the rarest eclipse of them all - the Transit of Venus.

How Star Trek Conquered Planet Earth On Saturday, May 6th, 2000 we hosted a live panel discussion and webcast to explore the amazing phenomena of Star Trek.

Origins Explore the places, people, tools, and ideas behind the origins of matter, the universe, and life itself.