Instruments of Science

3D Center of Art and Photography in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon

3D Center of Art and Photography

Taking the 3D art experience far beyond blue and red glasses

In 1994, the fledgling Cascade Stereoscopic Club began dreaming of a shared space where their passion for the history and art of three-dimensional photography could reach the public... »

Museums and Collections | Submitted by littlebrumble

The 6-m Large Zenith Telescope. - Large Zenith Telescope in British Columbia, Canada
British Columbia, Canada

Large Zenith Telescope

Large spinning bath of liquid mercury used to probe the early universe

With a six-meter diameter and weighing in at three metric tons, the Large Zenith Telescope is the third-largest optical telescope in North America and the largest liquid mirror telescope in the world... »

Inspired Inventions | Submitted by Trevor

The observatory's main entrance, with the Lee Lawrie relief above the door. Photo by Larry Adkins. - Hale Solar Laboratory in Pasadena, California
Pasadena, California

Hale Solar Laboratory

Suburban observatory was personal lab of the father of modern astrophysics

Tucked away in a suburban Pasadena community is the former office and personal observatory of one the most prolific American astrophysicists, George Ellery Hale... »

Inspired Inventions | Submitted by Trevor

George Keremedjiev holds an Apple I computer, built by the company's co-founders Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs. Photo by James Woodcock. - American Computer Museum in Montana, US
Montana, US

American Computer Museum

See the computer’s history revealed over the course of 20,000 years

“To collect, preserve, interpret, and display the artifacts and history of the information age.” That is the mission of the American Computer Museum, founded by husband and wife George and Barbara Keremedjiev... »

Museums and Collections | Submitted by Trevor

The Pitch Drop Experiment in Brisbane, Australia
Brisbane, Australia

The Pitch Drop Experiment

Begun 82 years ago, this science experiment keeps on going, ever so slowly

Begun in 1927 by Professor Thomas Parnell, this experiment was meant to reveal the surprising properties of an everyday material: pitch. Pitch is the name of a number of hard tar-like substances and in this case bitumen was used... »

Instruments of Science | Submitted by Dylan

Iron pillar of Delhi in India, Asia
India, Asia

Iron pillar of Delhi

An ancient iron pillar in Delhi which seems to be rust proof

On first appearance it doesn't look like much, a 22 foot tall iron pillar, slowly rusting away in the middle of an empty square in Dehli, India... »

Inspired Inventions | Submitted by Dylan

Aerial view of the Bighorn Medicine Wheel - Bighorn Medicine Wheel in Wyoming, Wisconsin
Wyoming, Wisconsin

Bighorn Medicine Wheel

Native American circle of stones used to predict astronomical events

A mysterious pattern of stones sits at the summit of Medicine Mountain, nearly 10,000 feet above the Bighorn Range in Wyoming... »

Instruments of Science | Submitted by Trevor

The Horn Antenna as seen today. - Holmdel Horn Antenna in Monmouth County, New Jersey
Monmouth County, New Jersey

Holmdel Horn Antenna

Where the embers of the Big Bang were first detected

In the 1950s, the scientific community was split by two competing theories explaining the origin of the universe. On one side, adherents of the Steady State Theory believed that the universe was static and would remain forever unchanged... »

Instruments of Science | Submitted by Trevor

The McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. - McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope in Pima County, Arizona
Pima County, Arizona

McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope

The biggest solar telescope in the world helps reveal the secrets of our sun

The McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope, atop Kitt Peak in Arizona, is the world's largest instrument dedicated to studying the Sun... »

Subterranean Sites | Submitted by Trevor

Eartha in Yarmouth, Maine
Yarmouth, Maine

Eartha

The world's largest rotating world

Were you to drive on Maine's Interstate 295 through Yarmouth, it would be next to impossible to miss Eartha. Eartha, housed in a three-story glass gallery at DeLorme Headquarters, is the world's largest rotating/revolving globe... »

Astounding Timepieces | Submitted by michelle