Explore, Play, Discover: Websites, Activities, and More

Meet the Artist: Paul Spooner

Meet Paul Spooner, an automata artist showcased at Curious Contraptions.

Artist Theo Jansen Prepares Strandbeests at the Exploratorium

Experience the thrill of Strandbeest: The Dream Machines of Theo Jansen.

Iron Science Teacher

Each webcast, the Exploratorium staff and teachers demonstrate their science projects and compete for the title of IRON SCIENCE TEACHER!

Solar Eclipse

Explore webcasts, stories, dispatches, photos, and articles of total and annular solar eclipses and transits.

Black Sand

Big magnets and black sand were made for play.

Kitchen Sink-o-Pation

Vsit a quirky kitchen where you can compose music with ordinary (and not-so-ordinary) objects.

Middle Ground

Explore new social science exhibits at San Francisco’s Civic Center.

Penguins

Living along the continental coastline of Antarctica are the emperors and the Adélies.

Soap Film Interference Model: Do the experiment

Catch a wave—then measure it, reflect it, and see what happens.

Making Naked Eggs

A naked egg is an egg without a shell. Using vinegar, you can dissolve the eggshell without breaking the membrane that contains the egg.

A Record of the Moment

Groove with the history and technology of vinyl records.

Curiosity's first days on Mars

Investigate the early days of the Curiosity lander on Mars.

The Language of Nature

Get a lesson in listening from Doniga Markegard, an expert wildlife tracker.

"Baseketball" A Physicist Party Trick

Anti-Gravity Mirror

Learn to "fly" on one of the Exploratorium's oldest exhibits.

The Joshua Light Show and Moon Duo (Part 1 of 2)

Sink into the deeply synesthetic experience of the Joshua Light Show.

Cookie Subduction

Get a taste of how the earth's plates move.

Glitter Globe

Make a fantastic toy that shimmers when you shake it.

Plate Tectonics

See a map of recent earthquakes in the United States, and learn why earthquakes happen so frequently on the West Coast.

Astronomy in Antarctica

What makes Antarctica inhospitable to life also makes it ideal for astronomy.

Which Embryo Is Human?

Can you tell the difference between human and nonhuman embryos?

Body Conductivity

Complete an electrical circuit with your body and explore ways to control the flow of electricity.

Turning Light into Sound with Wayne Grim and the Kronos Quartet

by Liz Ball • July 13, 2017

Join the Kronos Quartet for a performance like no other.

Cardboard Automata

Explore mechanical elements such as cams, levers, and linkages to create your own moving sculpture.

Imaging Station Wallpapers

Download desktop wallpaper for your computer.

Global Climate Change Explorer

Discover how researchers study climate change and examine the latest scientific data.

UV Beads

Study ultraviolet radiation from the sun and other sources using UV beads.

Millions of people around the world struggle to live with corneal blindness—the loss of sight caused by damage to the surface of the eye. It's a treatable condition with a clear solution: a corneal transplant. This Science in the City episode highlights the work SightLife is doing to help end corneal blindness by making transplants possible.

Dry Valleys

The nearly ice-free Dry Valleys are an Antarctic anomaly, and Earth's closest equivalent to Mars.

Balloon Blow-Up

Not all bubbles are made with soap!

Ponti di Carta

Driven

How are creative investigations sparked? What does a state of inspiration feel like? Can inspiration be transmitted from person to person? Join us for an audio slideshow series that explores the fascinating world of how we work creatively.

Color Vision and Color Photography

Explore the past and present of color vision.

Outdoor Exploratorium at Fort Mason

Visit the Outdoor Exploratorium at Fort Mason to explore the science behind wind, waves, and more.

Resonant Excitations, by Chloe Stamper

Experience this unique piece by Chloe Stamper, performed at Resonance.

Colored Shadows

Not all shadows are black. Discover a rainbow of shadows here.

Iron Science Teacher

Each webcast, the Exploratorium staff and teachers demonstrate their science projects and compete for the title of IRON SCIENCE TEACHER!

The Amazing Water Trick

Do hot water and cold water mix?

Getting Started with Science Journal

Turn your phone into a pocket science laboratory with tools to measure light, motion, sound, and more.

Take a Trip to WildCard

You’ll never think inside the box again.

Ear Guitar

Share some secret sounds with a friend.

Geometry Playground

Geometry Playground will change the way you think about geometry. This exhibition engages your hands, brain, and body in playful investigations of this most visible branch of math.