Atmosphere

Braided Stream

Air—not water—erupts through fine powder to sculpt these roiling streams.

Where: Fisher Bay Observatory Gallery 6, Mezzanine

Cloud Rings

Launch a ring of fog.

Where: Osher Gallery 1: Human Phenomenon

Air blowing over the surface of water inside a large Plexiglas hemisphere mimics the action of the wind over the ocean by generating waves. The waves slowly change and build until the entire volume of water is circulating as one wave. Viewers can adjust the speed of the air blower and influence the building of the waves.

Where: Gallery 4: Living Systems

Fluttering

A piece of fabric undulates in complex ways.

Where: Fisher Bay Observatory Gallery 6, Mezzanine

Fluvial Storm

Swirling water sculpts elaborate patterns of underwater dunes.

Where: This exhibit is not currently on view.

Fog Bridge #72494

In a city notorious for fog, this immense artwork by Fujiko Nakaya intermittently shrouds a pedestrian bridge spanning Piers 15 and 17 with clouds of mist, enveloping all in its gauzy embrace.

Where: Plaza

Research Buoy

This NOAA buoy gathers data on CO₂ levels, which are increasing in our oceans and affecting marine life.

Where: Gallery 5: Outdoor Exhibits

Sky Theater

Sky Theater is a rear-projected enclosure designed to reveal and celebrate unseen patterns of the daytime sky.

Where: Fisher Bay Observatory Gallery 6: Observing Landscapes

The Atmosphere: A Guide

This poster-essay depicts human influences on the sky and their accumulated traces, whether chemical, narrative, spatial, or political. Visually referencing the Cloud Code Chart, the guide explores ways that humans literally and figuratively occupy the present, past, and future atmosphere, from sea level to the exosphere.

Where: Fisher Bay Observatory Gallery 6: Observing Landscapes

Tornado

Fans simulate the swirling airflow in a thunderstorm and fog machines make the pattern visible, creating a miniature tornado that you can disturb with the wave of a hand.

Where: Gallery 4: Living Systems