Science On a Sphere

A whole world for you to see

Get an astronaut’s-eye-view of Earth’s surface—without leaving the ground—as it changes minute to minute, by the hour, through the seasons, and over the years!

Science On a Sphere® creates stunning visual animations from real planetary data, and displays them dynamically on a six-foot-diameter globe. This unique and captivating educational tool projects global data for Earth and other celestial bodies like Jupiter and the Moon. Suspended from the ceiling, the animated sphere seems to float in space—the way planets look to astronauts in space.

In Science On a Sphere, you can see:

• Expanding wave patterns of a devastating tsunami
• Surface features of Mars
• Massive storms forming and moving over Earth’s oceans and landmasses
• Night lights around the globe that reveal our planet’s most densely populated areas
• how COVID-19 spread across the globe and how different countries continue to react
• And much more

The variety of available datasets about the land, ocean, atmosphere, and more help visitors of all ages understand complex environmental processes. These include climate change, plate tectonics, and natural hazards, all of which can affect everyone.