Masks are required for all visitors 2+. Vaccines recommended. Plan your visit
Bechtel Gallery 3: Seeing & Reflections
Experiment with light and vision, sound, and hearing.
Our eyes and ears respond to light and sound waves, but these are just the first steps in perceiving the world. Playing with light and sound is the best way to learn how they work. Investigating real phenomena can also give you a deeper understanding of the scientific process.
Adapting to Color
Change your perception of color by flooding your eyes with colored light.
Where: This exhibit is not currently on view.
All Eyes on Me
Situate yourself at just the right place in space in front of this parabolic mirror array and you’ll see dozens of your own eyeballs peering back at you.
Ames Chairs
What we see can depend on what we expect to see.
Where: This exhibit is not currently on view.
Animation Tower
Quick-changing views create the illusion of motion.
Aurora
A reflector stretches light from colored tiles into long bright ribbons.
Bird in a Cage
Stare at a bird’s eye for 30 seconds, then look into the empty cage. You’ll see a ghostly bird—of a very different color—inside the cage
Bright Black
At this exhibit, find out how subjective brightness can be as you struggle—and fail—to correctly decide whether the squares you see are black or white.
Catch the Sound Waves
These simple glass tubes separate the sounds of the Exploratorium into distinct tones.
Where: This exhibit is not currently on view.
Cheshire Cat
Make your partner's face disappear, leaving only a smile.
Where: This exhibit is not currently on view.
Chladni Singing
Sand scattered on a large metal square vibrates and jumps in response to the sound of your voice. When you hit just the right note(s), the sand spontaneously migrates into elegant geometrical patterns.
Where: This exhibit is not currently on view.
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