Masks are required for all visitors 2+. Vaccines recommended. Plan your visit
Dive into websites, activities, apps, and more.
Discover the ingenious fixes and unexpected materials behind iconic movie scenes.
Using a spectroscope, you may see that what appears to be a single color of light is really a combination of colors called a spectrum.
An introduction to spectra and to the space-based telescopes. The site includes a number of hands-on activities.
Our reactions may be trained, but the devices that make music sound "sad" are real enough.
Your brain is always looking for blank spaces and filling them in. Sometimes, your brain leaps to the wrong conclusion. Then you get a surprise!
In the 1870s, an American woman could not vote. She could not own property in her own name after marriage. But she could play ball. . .
In Observance of the 50th Anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Meet Matt Smith, an automata artist showcased at the Curious Contraptions exhibition.
The Exploratorium is taking it outside to explore natural and human-made phenomena in and around San Francisco. Look for new episodes twice each month.
Design and build a musical instrument that responds to changing light.
Stand outside on a sunny day with a watch in your hand, and you can tell which way is north.
The more astronomy changes, the more it stays the same. This series of images juxtaposes ancient and modern study of the celestial bodies.
See how our location over San Francisco Bay helps save energy.
Follow scientists looking for life in the hot springs of the Russian Far East.
Listen to bird songs and try to figure out which are songs, which are companion calls, and which are alarms.
Find out how this extreme sport is governed by the principles of momentum, gravity, friction, and centripetal force. Learn skateboarding history, technology, and more!
Meet the robotic explorers that landed on Mars in 2004, and check out their tools and instruments.
Think you have a lot in common with a kiwi fruit? Genetically speaking, you do.
Break water into hydrogen and oxygen using a homemade electrolysis device.
Try your hand at explaining symbols both modern and ancient, and then make your own.
Seasoned gardeners depend on a community of bacteria, worms, and insects to get the most out of their plantings. Find out why.
Find out about bicycle brakes and balance, and calculate your stopping distance on a bicycle.
Stand outside on a sunny day with a watch in your hand, and you can tell which way is north.
Using a simple trick of perspective, you can dress your friends in tiny cutout clothing.
A Scribbling Machine is a motorized contraption that moves in unusual ways and leaves a mark to trace it's path.
Explore the mysteries of Ocean Beach's black sand (a.k.a. magnetite).