Exhibits

Orlando Science Center's exhibit halls feature a vast array of exciting interactive experiences! Learning has never been so fun with these hands on educational exhibits. From down to earth explorations in natural science to the high-tech world of simulation technology, everywhere you look, you'll find educational and entertaining opportunities to explore, experiment, and discover.

Traveling Exhibits

The Orlando Science Center is home to some of the most exciting traveling exhibits in the country. Upcoming traveling exhibits at the Science Center include Blue Man Group – Making Waves and Adventures With Clifford: The Big Red Dog. When these exhibits are in town they are only here for a limited time; so don’t miss the opportunity to see them!

Exhibit Halls

As great as our traveling exhibits are, there are some exhibits that are the staple of the Orlando Science Center. NatureWorks will have you up close and personal with some of nature’s most fascinating reptiles. At DinoDigs, you’ll step back into the prehistoric age. Discover the dynamic forces and systems that shape our Earth, as well as other planets in Our Planet, Our Universe. Explore such concepts as electricity and magnetism, lasers, soundwaves, and nature’s forces in Science Park. No visit to the Science Center is complete without a trip to KidsTown, an interactive world dedicated to our smaller explorers.

Science Live! Programs

What’s the difference between a great visit to a Science Center and a memorable visit? Live programs. Our exhibits are designed to inspire curiosity and exploration, our Science Live! programs are designed to bring the exhibits to life. Whether it’s a show in the Digital Adventure Theater or a one-to-one interaction with a volunteer at the Crosby Observatory, our live programs create the kind of impact that can last a lifetime.

Science Stations

Looking for little more “hard science” in your next Science Center visit? Look no further than the Science Stations located throughout the facility. Science Stations are a cross between exhibits and live programs in that they’re exhibits that typically include a live program to truly bring the experience to life. Science Stations provide an in-depth look at their respective subject matter in an entertaining way. Be sure to check your program schedule to see which Science Stations are conducting demonstrations on the day of your next visit.

Crosby Observatory

The aluminum-domed Crosby Observatory atop Orlando Science Center houses Florida's largest publicly accessible refractor telescope. This one-of-a-kind custom-built telescope, along with several smaller scopes, are available at selected times for solar and night sky viewing.

Live from Planet Earth, it’s UrtheCast!

01 July 2011
Posted in Our Planet, Our Universe

This week held big news for the future of the International Space Station. A new Canadian, Russian and UK collaboration mixes the live stream concept of Google Earth and video playback feature of YouTube to create UrtheCast.com (pronounced “Earth Cast”). With two HD cameras set on the Russian module of the ISS, site users will be virtual spaceship captains, as they search, watch, rewind, fast forward, and zoom in and out of live streams of Earth.

From their own computers and mobile devices, UrtheCast users can clearly see man-made objects and people, and also track the ISS to see when it’ll fly over their homes. At a frame rate of 3.25 frames per second and the ability to zoom-in to 1.1 meters, the cameras are extremely precise in location and time. As if that weren’t stellar enough, UrtheCast can also be shared through Facebook and Twitter, downloaded as a Smartphone App, and third party developers can take video for their own applications.

Here's a video from the company:

A Formula for Wildfires - Part Three

29 June 2011
Posted in WFTV Severe Weather Center 9

Although the wildfires in Arizona have been almost completely contained at the moment, the Las Conchas wildfire in New Mexico rages on because of the red flag weather conditions (high temperature, high wind and low humidity.) As of June 27, 2011, 8:00 a.m., New Mexico time, the wildfire is approximately 1 mile southwest of the boundary of Los Alamos National Laboratory, famed nuclear research facility. Because of a similar incident that occurred 11 years ago, the Lab is prepared and has already accounted for all radioactive materials and has secured the site.

Currently, firefighters are using fires to fight fires. The hope is that if firefighters use prescribed burns to eliminate fuels in the path of the fire. Then the wildfire will have nothing left to feed on by the time it reaches the points where the prescribed fires were set and eliminated. For up to date information on the New Mexico fires visit this website.

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A Formula for Wildfires - Part Two

28 June 2011
Posted in WFTV Severe Weather Center 9

The following is the second of a three part series on wildfires...

High winds only serve to exacerbate the problem of wildfires due to its unpredictability and the fact that wind supplies oxygen to fuel the fire, further dry the fuels and push the fire to spread across greater distances. Did you know that wildfires alone can produce winds that are ten times stronger than the winds surrounding them? For this reason, fires are a formidable force.

Not only do high winds promote fire growth, the presence of a fire can actually increase wind speeds. These winds can throw embers into the air and spread them causing “spotting.” Not only that, but strong gusts can hurl the embers into tree tops creating a “crown fire.” For example, the Las Conchas wildfire in New Mexico is currently running, crowning and spotting up to a half mile from the head of the fire.

Here's a look at the Las Conchas fire from KRQE in New Mexico:

Whale Sharks Swarm the Yucatan

28 June 2011
Posted in NatureWorks

Up to 420 whale sharks recently gathered off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, forming the world’s largest known assembly of this species. With the largest whale shark ever measurring 40ft. long, with some thought to grow even bigger, this kind of gathering can be quite a sight!

Whale sharks can weigh more than 79,000 pounds and are solitary filter feeders that prefer to be alone in the ocean. The impressive shark assembly proves they will gather for the right reasons. Food now appears to be the draw.

Whale sharks are the largest species of fish in the world, yet they mostly feed on the smallest organisms in the ocean. In spite of their enormous size, whale sharks are not aggressive and move very slowly. Usually they’re seen in the ocean with their up to 5 foot wide mouths open, waiting for food to float in. Tests determined that the whale sharks were gathered feeding on coveted fish eggs from little tunny, a member of the mackerel family.

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A Formula for Wildfires

27 June 2011
Posted in WFTV Severe Weather Center 9

Wildfires are a product of temperature, wind and moisture. High temperatures, high winds and low humidity are conditions that are of concern, especially to those in the West now. These are what can be called red flag conditions. Conditions like these contribute to intense fire behavior and rapid fire growth much like what has been seen recently with the Arizona and New Mexico wildfires.

High temperatures are what serve to induce the first spark to the fire. The ground, including plants, sticks and underbrush, absorbs radiant heat from the sun, which serves to heat and dry potential fuels. Warmer temperatures combined with low humidity or dry air allow for fuels to ignite and burn faster, adding to the rate that wildfires spread. For this reason, wildfires tend to rage in the afternoon, when temperatures are hotter. In New Mexico, the Las Conchas wildfire grew to cover over 43,000 acres in a little less than a day.

Note: This is the first in a three part article describing the recent wildfirs in the Western US and what causes wildfires in general. Check back for the second part on how wind adds to the dangerous mix.

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