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

What do you really know about what you see?

Land of ice and people

Darkening polar skies often bring beautiful light displays.

Just how much fat is in ground beef? You may be surprised.

Follow our crew as they visit the Dry Valleys and hike the slopes of volcanic Mt. Erebus.

Looking at the night sky can help you see how your eyes and brain make sense out of moonlight.

Activities and History

An incubator for innovative public space ideas, projects and news

Amino acids and corn syrup combine to create new aromas.

Most paper airplanes are flat, but these paper hoops can really fly!

Learn about the inner workings of a cell through this interactive exhibit.

An introduction to the concepts and theories that contribute to contemporary complexity research.

Learn about origami, make your own paper, and find out the best way to fold a paper airplane.

The three most densely populated cities on the planet where seismologists expect major earthquakes are San Francisco, Tokyo, and Istanbul. Find out why the effects in each city will be very different.

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.

In this activity, students make bridges using an oil-based modeling clay (plasticene).

Our collaboration with Public Radio International's The World. With Public Radio International, we're taking technology news beyond the headlines.

What can you do with a frozen water balloon? Plenty!

Learn about the rovers that have been exploring Mars since 2004, and view the amazing images they've taken.

What do stem cells, fruit flies, and zebrafish look like under a microscope?

Bring movie, TV, and cartoon images to life.

Artist Bob Miller's Light Walk at the Exploratorium will change the way you look at light, shadow, and images.

Plants and people alike. We all have a need to feed.

Learn about the giants of the polar seas.

The more astronomy changes, the more it stays the same. This series of images juxtaposes ancient and modern study of the celestial bodies.

Before there were clocks, people used shadows to tell time!

Rube Goldberg-inspired cause and effect contraptions using everyday materials and found objects.

Discover secret colors hidden in a black marker!

This 2011 conference, hosted at the Exploratorium, explored the role aesthetic inquiry in public interdisciplinary environments.

View the full eclipse visible from China in 2008.

Will the "real" South Pole please stand up?

anatomy of a skateboard, skateboard tricks, types of skateboarding, physics glossary.

See living stem cells and find out why they are the "stem" from which all other cells develop.

Darkening polar skies often bring beautiful light displays.

Find out what's inside a floppy disk.

How many pennies will your bridge hold?

When you ride a bike in a straight line, you must make many minor corrections in order to stay upright.

Check out ColorFest, a two-month extravaganza celebrating color at the museum from July 1 to September 5.

Learn about the body's vital defense force.

On March 29, 2006, a total solar eclipse occurred when the new moon moved directly between the sun and the earth. The moon’s shadow fell on the eastern tip of Brazil, sped eastward across the Atlantic, through northern Africa, across the Mediterranean, an

See why these beautiful flowers have attracted generations of admirers.