Nature of Science

A Way of Seeing as It Happens

A mirror and a lens mounted on top project a live image of the outside view into a darkened room.

Where: Fisher Bay Observatory Gallery 6: Observing Landscapes

Bay Lexicon is a visual dictionary made up of illustrated flash cards, exploring the landscape visible from the Bay Observatory’s windows as well as places and phenomena along the shoreline between Fort Point and Hunters Point.

Where: Fisher Bay Observatory Gallery 6: Observing Landscapes

Benham's Disk

The colors you see here are all in your head.

Where: Bechtel Gallery 3: Seeing & Listening

Big Chair, Little Chair

Each of the chairs in this series has dimensions that are twice that of the smaller chair. But doubling the dimension of a chair doesn’t double its strength.

Where: Entrance

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

Where: Bechtel Gallery 3: Seeing & Listening

Cheshire Cat

Make your partner's face disappear, leaving only a smile.

Where: Bechtel Gallery 3: Seeing & Listening

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.

Where: Bechtel Gallery 3: Seeing & Listening

Disappearing Rings

Lower these rings into the Bay and see just how far you can see into the water. One of the San Francisco Bay’s defining features, sediment flows from the delta change with the seasons. This exhibit is based on a scientific observational instrument called a “secchi disk,” which scientists use to determine water clarity.

Where: Gallery 5: Outdoor Exhibits

Distorted Room

From one view, this room looks like a normal room, but people and things inside may seem quite strange.

Where: Gallery 5: Outdoor Exhibits

Energy from Death

A decaying carcass makes a perfect meal for an assortment of scavengers, including the dermestid beetles you can see in this exhibit. As they feast on these carcasses, the dermestid beetles and their larvae get their energy and nutrients from the dried flesh, skin, and other tissues.

Where: Gallery 4: Living Systems