Learn with us online while the Exploratorium is temporarily closed. You can help us reopen—donate today.

Light, Color & Seeing

Science activity to investigate the color of water
A Splash of Color
Is pure water colorless?
Science activity that demonstrates the afterimage phenomenon
Afterimage
A flash of light prints a lingering image in your eye.
Science activity to construct a cube that can be perceived in two ways
Ambiguous Cube
Strange things can happen when your brain gets confused.
Science activity in which short pieces of chenille stem look random until viewed in the proper perspective
Ames Chair
It’s all in the way you look at it.
Anti-Gravity Mirror
Learn how to fly with this neat mirror trick.
Science activity demonstrating color afterimage phenomenon
Bird in a Cage
Stare at one color—but see another.
Science activity demonstrating the blind spot phenomenon
Blind Spot
To see or not to see.
Science activity demonstrating the phenomenon of light scattering
Blue Sky
Discover why the sky is blue and the sunset is red.
Science activity that demonstrates how some light sources flash on and off many times a second
Bronx-Cheer Bulb
Give a light source the raspberry and watch it wiggle—but the only thing wiggling is you.
Science activity investigating spectroscopy
CD Spectroscope
Make a truth teller for light.
Science activity demonstrating visual perception illusion
Cheshire Cat
Make a friend disappear, leaving only a smile behind.
Science activity that demonstrates the dominant eye phenomena
Circles or Ovals?
Your brain combines information from your eyes in surprising ways.
Science activity that demonstrates color perception illusion
Color Contrast
A colored object may look different against different-colored backgrounds.
Science activity that demonstrates effect of color filters on perception
Color Table
Color your perception.
Science activity that demonstrates perception of additive color mixtures
Colored Shadows
Not all shadows are black.
Science activity demonstrating paths of light reflection
Corner Reflector
See yourself as others see you.
Science activity to explore underwater color perception
Deep Blue
Underwater, what you see is not what you get.
Science activity that demonstrates perception of camouflage and movement
Disappearing Act
If you want to stay hidden, you’d better stay still.
Science activity that demonstrates the index of refraction
Disappearing Glass Rods
You can make glass objects disappear.
Science activity that demonstrates neuroplasticity
Distortion Goggles
Retrain your brain.
Science activity that demonstrates the art of natural dyes
Dye Like a Natural
Stain your clothes on purpose.
Everyone Is You and Me
Science activity demonstrating a visual illusion
Fading Dot
Now you see it; now you don’t—an object without a sharp edge can fade from your view.
Science activity that demonstrates an ambiguous figure optical illusion
Far-Out Corners
Your experience of the world influences what you see.
Science activity to observe shapes floating inside your own eye
Floaters
See shadowy shapes floating inside your own eye.
Science activity that demonstrates luminescence and flourescence
Glow Up
You light up my life.
Science activity that demonstrates light scattering in the atmosphere
Glue-Stick Sunset
Why is the sky blue? That's a sticky question.
Science activity that demonstrates lateral inhibition in perception of boundaries
Gray Step
Without a boundary, it’s hard to distinguish different shades of gray.
Science and art activity on visual perception
Jacques Cousteau in Seashells
There’s more to seeing than meets the eye.
Science activity that uses gelatin to demonstrate behavior of filters and lenses
Laser Jello
Gelatin can do much more than just wiggle and jiggle.
Science activity to investigate patterns in laser light
Laser Speckle
Test your vision—just by moving your head.
Science activity that demonstrates lateral inhibition in visual perception
Lateral Inhibition
Which is in control, your eye or your brain?
Science activity investigating visual perception
Looking a Little Spotty
Think you’re seeing the whole picture? Think again.
Science activity that investigates the perception of projected moving images
Magic Wand
See pictures in thin air.
Science activity that demonstrates how mirrors work
Mirror Reversal
Reflect on the ins and outs of mirrors.
Science activity that investigates perception of reflections
Mirrorly a Window
What you see is often affected by what you expect to see.
Science activity that demonstrates wave interference
On the Fringe (formerly Bridge Light)
Air trapped between two pieces of clear plastic produces rainbow-colored interference patterns.
Science activity that demonstrates a visual illusion
Overlapping Spots
Make a bright spot brighter.
Science activity that demonstrates persistence of vision
Persistence of Vision
Your eye and brain can hold on to a series of images long enough to form a single complete picture.
Science activity that demonstrates how a lenless camera works
Personal Pinhole Theater
A pinhole camera you can really get into.
Science activity that demonstrates magnification by a pinhole
Pinhole Magnifier
Who needs expensive optical equipment to see better?
Science activity that demonstrates human visual perception of images on a smartphone
Pixels, Pictures, and Phones
Take a (super) close look at your smartphone and you may be surprised by what you see.
Science activity that experiments with brine shrimp behavior
Plankton Rainbow
Shine some light on brine shrimp behavior.
Science activity that demonstrates a creative exploration of light through a pinhole viewer
Poking Fun at Art
Explore light and color from a hole new angle.
Science activity that demonstrates light and color mixing through a pinhole viewer
Poking Fun at Color Mixing
Enlarge your perspective on color.
Science activity that demonstrates how light travels through a pinhole viewer
Poking Fun at Light Rays
Discover a straight path to enlightenment.
Science activity that demonstrates light and mathematical relationships through a pinhole viewer
Poking Fun at Math
Make pinhole predictions.
Science activity that investigates the pupil
Pupil
Your pupil changes size to control how much light enters your eye.
Science activity that explores visual perception
Reverse Masks
Eye'll be seeing you.
Science activity that investigates the structure of the retina
Seeing Your Retina
Keep an eye on your retinal blood supply network.
Science activity that uses color chromatography to discover the secret colors hidden in black ink
Separation Anxiety
Use water to learn about black magic…markers.
Science activity demonstrating one of your visual system’s many idiosyncrasies
Shrinking Spot
Control the (apparent) size of a hole with your brain.
Science activity that demonstrates depth perception
Size and Distance
So close, yet so far away.
Science activity that explores an optical illusion
Sliding Gray Step
Don't believe everything you see.
Science activity that models light wave interference
Soap Film Interference Model
Get on our wavelength!
Science activity that demonstrates light interference in soap
Soap Film on a Can
What light through yonder film can breaks?
Science activity that demonstrations adaptation in the visual system
Squirming Palm
This visual illusion makes the palm of your hand appear to squirm and twist.
Science activity that demonstrates the primary and secondary colors of light
The Three Little Pigments
Know your C, M, Y, and K.
Science activity that demonstrates depth perception
Thread the Needle
Using two eyes gives you depth perception.
Science activity that demonstrates color mixing with printer ink
Truly Primary Pigments
Make your own mix-n-match markers to produce a rainbow of colors.
A science activity that demonstrates the two-slit interference phenomenon
Two-Slit Wave Model
Use index cards to show how light plus light equals dark.
Science activity that demonstrates persistence of vision
Whirling Watcher
When you view short bursts of moving images, you see some interesting effects.
Science activity that demonstrates distances with a composite reflection
Your Father's Nose
Sometimes, you're your partner's splitting image.
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Attribution: Exploratorium Teacher Institute