Learn with us online while the Exploratorium is temporarily closed. You can help us reopen—donate today.
Astronomy & Space Sciences
Aeolian Landscape
Aeolian Landscape presents a swirling storm of sand inside a large chamber covered by a plexiglass top. A knob on the top of the exhibit rotates a sturdy fan set in the base of the chamber.
Braided Stream
Air—not water—erupts through fine powder to sculpt these roiling streams.
Cloud Chamber
Look down into the chamber and you’ll see an ongoing cascade of thin white trails appearing and disappearing. These are cosmic ray tracks, created by high-energy subatomic particles from space.
Fluvial Storm
Swirling water sculpts elaborate patterns of underwater dunes.
Where: This exhibit is not currently on view.
Geysers
The timing of the eruptions of these geysers depends on water temperature and pressure.
Where: This exhibit is not currently on view.
Icy Bodies
Like comets, these chunks of dry ice slowly disintegrate as they move, leaving a visible trail of condensed water vapor.
Inverse Square Law
Light gets dimmer the farther it travels–and a bit of simple math explains how.
Oculus Table
Oculus Table introduces a contemporary twist on a common ancient Greek sundial, the scaphe (σκάφη or "bowl"). With sunlight streaming through the oculus—the hole in the ceiling of the Fisher Bay Observatory—the movable table can be visually aligned with landmarks on the skyline (Coit Tower, Transamerica Pyramid, etc.) to discover the Sun's position in the sky and the current time and date.
Where: Fisher Bay Observatory Gallery 6: Observing Landscapes
Sun Painting
Created by artist Bob Miller, this classic Exploratorium exhibit is a “live” painting that uses light from the Sun as its palette.
Turbulent Orb
Swirling turbulent patterns evoke the atmosphere of our own spinning planet.
Where: Gallery 4: Living Systems
Vortex
A twist of a knob sets water jets in motion, causing water in this giant cylindrical tank to spin. Soon, a tiny vortex appears at the surface, gradually swelling in size as it snakes downward.
