Science tourism facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Science tourism is all about traveling to places that have something cool to do with science! It's a way to explore amazing scientific spots like museums, special labs, places where people study stars (called observatories), and even famous universities.

Visiting Science Spots

Many science labs are busy with real research, so they might not always be open to everyone. But sometimes, they have special open days where you can visit! Observatories, on the other hand, are usually open and offer tours to show off their awesome work studying space.

Science Museums to Explore

Museums are fantastic places to learn about science in a fun way.

Museums in Europe

Northern Europe's Science Gems

Nobel Museum in Sweden: This museum teaches you all about the Nobel Prize, a super important award for big discoveries.
Sweden Solar System near Stockholm: Imagine our Solar System, but super-sized! This is the world's largest model of it, spread out across a whole area.
Heureka in Vantaa, Finland: This is an amazing hands-on science museum. You can explore different exhibits about technology, physics, chemistry, medicine, and even space! It's really exciting for kids who love science.

Central Europe's Cool Science Spots

Deutsches Museum in Munich, Germany

Peenemünde in Germany: This is where German scientists worked on some of the world's first rockets before and during World War 2.
Marie Curie Museum in Poland: Learn about the history of radioactivity and the incredible scientist Marie Curie.
Auto & Technik Museum in Sinsheim, Germany: This museum has awesome displays of old cars, motorcycles, and a huge collection of airplanes, including a Soviet Tu-144 and a Concorde!
Deutsches Museum in Munich, Germany: This is one of the biggest and best science and technology museums in the world! It's like a "museum of everything technology." You can find exhibits on everything from planes to brewing beer, and even computers. They have a planetarium too!
Zeppelin Museum in Friedrichshafen, Germany: This museum is all about zeppelins, those giant airships, and also features Dornier aircraft.

Western Europe's Science Adventures

Science Museum London in the UK: A popular museum with lots of interactive exhibits about science and technology.
Down House in Kent, UK: This was the home of Charles Darwin, the famous scientist who developed the theory of evolution. You can see where he lived and worked, and even explore his garden.
James Clerk Maxwell's Birthplace and Museum in Edinburgh, Scotland: Learn about James Clerk Maxwell, whose discoveries about electricity and magnetism helped create much of our modern electrical technology.

Southern Europe's Scientific Treasures

Leonardo da Vinci Museum of Science and Technology in Milan, Italy: As the name suggests, this museum is dedicated to science and technology, inspired by the brilliant inventor Leonardo da Vinci.

Eastern Europe's Science Wonders

Memorial Museum of Astronautics in Moscow, Russia: This museum celebrates Russia's amazing contributions to space exploration and technology.
Akademgorodok near Novosibirsk, Russia: This unique "academy town" was built for scientists to do their research. It has several museums and institutes.

North America's Science Hotspots

Exploratorium in San Francisco, USA: A fantastic hands-on museum where you can explore scientific ideas through play.
Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, USA: This is where NASA launches its space missions! All 12 people who have walked on the Moon started their journey here.
National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., USA: See famous aircraft and spacecraft up close.
National Museum of Mathematics or Momath in New York, USA: A fun museum dedicated to the world of mathematics.
National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., USA: Explore exhibits on dinosaurs, animals, and the natural world.
Space Center Houston in Webster, Texas, USA: This NASA museum offers tram tours of the Johnson Space Center, where astronauts train and Mission Control is located.

Oceania's Interactive Science

Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, Australia: This large museum covers popular culture, but also has cool interactive displays about technology, design, and industry. It's great for all ages!
Questacon in Canberra, Australia: An interactive science museum with exhibits that show how physics works and even how earthquakes move. It's super fun for kids!

South America's Science Sites

Alcântara in Brazil: This is a rocket launch site for the Brazilian Space Agency and has a museum.
Kourou in French Guiana: This is the main rocket launch site for the European Space Agency.

Amazing Science Laboratories

Many labs are where scientists do their cutting-edge research. Some offer special tours!

Europe's Research Labs

Many European countries work together at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN.

CERN Aerial View of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and its experiments with Lake Geneva in the background

CERN near Geneva, on the French/Swiss border: This is one of the most famous science labs in the world! Physicists and engineers here study the smallest parts of the universe using the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world's largest and most complex scientific accelerator. They even discovered the Higgs boson here in 2012!
- Microcosm: Right outside CERN, there's a museum that tells the story of CERN's discoveries.
- CERN Guided Tours: Sometimes, you can take a guided tour to see the experiments up close.

National Physical Laboratory in the UK: This lab is famous for creating the first atomic clock in the 1950s, which helped us measure time much more accurately! They sometimes have open days where you can see their amazing science.

Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in the UK: This is a big research center for both physical and life sciences. It has a powerful neutron source and a laser facility. They also host public science talks.

North America's National Labs

In the United States, the Department of Energy (DOE) funds many national laboratories. Some of these labs have open houses where the public can visit and see the research being done.

DOE Laboratories

Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois, USA: Founded in 1946, this lab works on clean energy, environment, and national security. They offer guided tours for visitors aged 16 and older by reservation.
Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York, USA: This lab studies physics, chemistry, biology, and medicine. Scientists here discovered the Quark-Gluon-Plasma! They are open to the public on Sundays during the summer for tours.
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Illinois, USA: This lab specializes in high-energy particle physics. Many parts of CERN's Large Hadron Collider were designed and tested here. They discovered the Top quark in 1995! You can visit two buildings on your own, or book a group tour.
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California, USA: Founded in 1931, this lab has discovered 16 chemical elements! It's now a multi-program research site with great views of the San Francisco Bay. Visitors usually need special permission or can attend open days.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, USA: This lab is home to the Titan supercomputer and the Spallation Neutron Source, which creates the most intense pulsed neutron beams in the world for research. You need to arrange your visit ahead of time.
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory in New Jersey, USA: This lab researches plasma physics and nuclear fusion, which is like the energy that powers the sun! They offer free tours led by scientists.
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in California, USA: This lab uses electron beams to study particle physics and other areas. They discovered the charm quark and the tau lepton! Public tours are currently paused, but check their website for updates.
Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in Virginia, USA: This lab has a powerful electron accelerator and the world's most powerful free-electron laser. They have an open house once a year where you can tour the accelerator tunnel!

Stargazing Observatories

Observatories are places with powerful telescopes used to study stars, planets, and galaxies.

Europe's Observatories

European Space Agency's Columbus Control Centre in Germany: This center helps control the Columbus research lab on the International Space Station!
Stjerneborg observatory on Hven Island, Sweden: This was the observatory of the famous astronomer Tycho Brahe.
University Observatory Vienna in Austria: This historic observatory offers guided tours and has a mini-observatory on its roof!

North America's Observatories

Mt Graham International Observatory in Arizona, USA: This observatory offers tours by reservation.
Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona, USA: It has several telescopes, including a large solar telescope. They offer guided tours and even a nightly stargazing program!
Lowell Observatory in Arizona, USA: This is where Pluto was discovered! You can still see the telescope used for this amazing find.
NRAO Very Large Array in New Mexico, USA: This is a huge radio telescope array that you might have seen in movies! You can take a self-guided tour around one of the giant dishes.
NRAO Green Bank Observatory in West Virginia, USA: Located in a special "radio quiet zone," this is the largest fully steerable single-dish radio telescope in the world!

South America's Observatories

The European Southern Observatory has its headquarters in Germany, but its amazing telescopes are in northern Chile.

European Southern Observatory in Chile:
- New Technology Telescope, La Silla, Chile
- Very Large Telescope, Paranal, Chile
- Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA), Llano de Chajnantor, Chile

Africa's Telescopes

South Africa's Giant Telescopes

Southern African Large Telescope (SALT): This is the largest optical telescope in the southern hemisphere, and one of the biggest in the world!
KAT-7, MeerKAT, PAPER, and SKA Africa: These are radio telescopes, with MeerKAT being the most powerful radio telescope ever built! They are part of the even bigger SKA Telescope project, which will be the most powerful telescope ever imagined.
South African Astronomical Observatory in Cape Town: This observatory has a fascinating history dating back to 1820! While most observing happens away from the city lights, some telescopes in Cape Town are still used for public events.

Namibia's Gamma-Ray Telescope

H.E.S.S. Telescope: This observatory studies very high-energy gamma-rays from space.

Top Science Universities

Many famous universities are home to brilliant scientists and amazing science programs. Their campuses are usually open to the public, and they often offer public lectures about new research.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA: A world-famous research university known for science and engineering.
Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA: Founded in 1636, it's the oldest university in the United States.
University of Cambridge in England: Founded in 1209, it's one of the oldest universities in the world and has had many Nobel Prize winners.
University College London (UCL) in England: Located in the heart of London, it's a major research university with many Nobel Prize winners among its alumni and staff.
Imperial College London in England: This university specializes in science, engineering, medicine, and business.
University of Oxford in England: Another very old and famous university in England. You can explore its colleges and museums.
Stanford University in California, USA: A private research university with many Nobel Prize winners. They offer student-led walking tours of the campus.
Yale University in Connecticut, USA: A private research university with many Nobel Prize-winning scientists.
California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in California, USA: A world-renowned institution dedicated to science and engineering. They offer self-guided walking tours.
ETH Zürich in Switzerland: This top-ranked university in Europe has had 21 Nobel Prize winners, including Albert Einstein!

Other Interesting Science Spots

Boltzmann's grave in Vienna, Austria: The famous Boltzmann equation, which describes how tiny particles behave in a gas, is written on his gravestone.
Schrödinger's grave in Austria: The Schrödinger equation, which describes how quantum systems change over time, is inscribed on his gravestone.
Hofmeyr Skull in South Africa: This 36,000-year-old skull helps support the "Out of Africa" theory, which says that modern humans first evolved in Africa.
- Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa: On December 3, 1967, the first human heart transplant was performed here by Dr. Christiaan Barnard.

Images for kids

Deutsches Museum in Munich, Germany
CERN Aerial View of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and its experiments with Lake Geneva in the background

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Science tourism Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.