Science tourism

From Halal Explorer

File:Science tourism banner LHC - Large Hadron Collider, CERN Science tourism is a travel topic grouping scientific attractions. It covers interests in visiting and exploring scientific monuments, including museums, laboratories, observatories and universities. - 30|-10|zoom=1|height=340|width=520}}

Get ready

Caution Note: It is those who know little, and not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science.

For the museum sites, check the relevant opening hours and entry fees, where applicable. As many of the listed laboratories have ongoing scientific research, you need a scientific reason to visit a laboratory. Hence you need to plan in advance and check for the days were there are special public access opportunities. Observatories are usually open to the public and have tours showcasing their astronomical research.

Most university campuses are open to the general public, though access to the buildings is typically restricted to students and staff. That said, some universities may have an on-site science museum for the public to view their most significant findings.

Museums

Europe

Northern Europe

  • Nobel Museum - Nobelmuseet Stortorget 2, Stockholm/Gamla Stan, Sweden 59.325211, 18.07075 ☎ +46 8 534 818 00 - Nobel Museum It has exhibitions about the Nobel Prize.
  • Sweden Solar System in greater Stockholm, contains the world's largest scale model of the Solar System.
  • Heureka - Kuninkaalantie 7 60.290278, 25.045 Near Tikkurila train station Opening Hours: Monday - W, Thursday 10AM Monday - 8PM, Friday 10AM Monday - 5PM, Saturday to Sunday 10AM Monday - 6PM. Adult: €19; Children (6-15): €12.50 Heureka (science center) Heureka in Vantaa is an interactive science museum, with different kinds of exhibitions about technology, physics, chemistry, medicine, astronomy and so on. Really exciting for children interested in science.

Central Europe

  • Peenemünde - Historisch-Technisches Museum Peenemünde | Im Kraftwerk, Peenemünde 54.137778, 13.768889 ☎ +49 38371-505-0 Opening Hours: April - September: 10:00-18:00, October - Mar: 10:00-16:00, open daily (November - Mar: Monday closed) Regular: €8, Discount: €5 Historical Technical Museum, Peenemünde A place where the Germans developed some of the world's first rockets before and during WW2.
  • Marie Curie Museum - ul. Freta 16, 00-227 Warszawa, Poland 52.251389, 21.008611 ☎ +48 22 831 80 92 - Maria Skłodowska-Curie Museum History of radioactivity
  • Auto & Technik Museum - 49.2386, 8.89722 Signposted from exits 33 or 34 on the A6 Autobahn. Opening Hours: open daily Auto & Technik Museum Sinsheim In Sinsheim, Baden-Württemberg (southwestern Germany). Has interesting displays of many vintage and historic cars, motorcycles, other machinery, and an extensive collection of aircraft, including a Soviet Tuesday 144 and French/Britain Concorde.

Deutsches Museum 1 - Deutsches Museum

  • Deutsches Museum - German Museum of Masterpieces of Science and Technology | @museum.de Museumsinsel 1 48.13, 11.583333 S-bahn station Isartor and then follow signs, alternatively U-bahn Fraunhoferstrasse Tram 16: Deutsches Museum ☎ +49 89 21791 +49 89 2179324 Opening Hours: Daily 09:00-17:00 Adults €8.50, Concessions €3 Deutsches Museum - Probably the closest anybody is ever going to get to a "museum of everything" or at least a museum of "everything technology" and a whole lot more. One of the greatest scientific and technical museums in the world, it is one of the most important sights in the area and absolute "must see's" of Munich, visited by roughly 1.5 million visitors per year. Topics range from aviation to brewing, from computer sciences to bridge building. There are many guided tours on specific themes and in different languages. There is a planetarium and two branch offices in other locations, which show vehicles that found no place in downtown Munich.
  • The city of Friedrichshafen offers a museum dedicated to zeppelins and another to Dornier aircraft.

Western Europe

  • Science Museum London - 51.4975, 0.174722 South Kensington ☎ +44 870 870 4868
  • The Down House - Luxted Road, Downe, Kent, BR6 7JT, England 51.331389, 0.053333 ☎ +44 1689 859119 Opening Hours: Opening hours vary according seasons, on open days 10:00-16:00 adults £10.00, children £6.00, concessions £9.00 Down House This place is unique piece in the history of science as the theory of evolution by natural selection got worked out here. A visit of the home of the English naturalist Charles Darwin allows glimpses in his life. Darwin wrote 'On the Origin of Species' in this house. The house has also carnivorous plants and exotic orchids.
  • James Clerk Maxwell's Birthplace and Museum - 14 India Street, Edinburgh, EH3 6EZ, UK 55.9552507, -3.2057174 Opening Hours: The house in which James Clerk Maxwell was born is open to visitors by appointment. Visits for up to twelve people are conducted by volunteers and take roughly 1 hour, but please note that there are four steps up to the main door. Tour appointments are normally available in the periods 10:00 - 12:30, and 14:30 - 17:00, Monday to Friday. Free, donations welcome - Edinburgh's answer to Newton and Einstein. His equations unified the forces of Electricity and Magnetism and paved the way for Einstein's theory of special relativity. From the website "Modern technology, in large part, stems from his grasp of the basic principles of the universe. Wide ranging developments in the field of electricity and electronics, including radio, television, radar and communications, derive from Maxwell's discovery of the laws of the electromagnetic field - which was not a synthesis of what was known before, but rather a fundamental change in concept that departed from Newton's view and was to influence greatly the modern scientific and industrial revolution." #nerdcator

Southern Europe

  • Leonardo da Vinci Museum of Science and Technology - Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia | S.Vittore Street 45.46302, 9.171237 reachable by bus or subway, line MM2 Sant'Ambrogio Station - Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci - Located in Milan/West|Milan. As the name tells, it is a museum to learn more about science and technology. Hosted in a former monastery, San Vittore al Corpo. |
  • South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology - 46.499861, 11.349528 - South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology

Eastern Europe

  • In Moscow Outskirts|the outskirts of Moscow there are a couple of sites dedicated to the Soviet Union|Soviet and Russian contributions to science and technology. These include the Memorial Museum of Astronautics and the All-Russia Exhibition Centre and the Monument to the Conquerors of Space. While you're there, check out the 540m high concrete transmission tower, Ostankino Tower. - GPS 54.8500,83.1036 Akademgorodok Out in the Siberian taiga near Novosibirsk, Akademgorodok (literally "academy town") was built during the Soviet era, so that the academic elite could conduct their research in relative freedom, prosperity, and isolation. The planned city with tree lined streets hosts several museums, institutes, as well as a beach on the Ob Sea, an artificial reservoir.

North America

  • Exploratorium, San Francisco - 37.802778, -122.448333 - Exploratorium Exploratorium-sign
  • Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral - 28.585278, -80.650833 - Kennedy Space Center STS-135 begins takeoff - The launch site for NASA's space missions. All 12 persons who have traveled to the Moon so far have started their journeys from here.
  • National Museum of Mathematics in New York - Momath | 40.7437, -73.9883 - National Museum of Mathematics National Museum of Mathematics 11 East 26th Street entrance
  • Space Center Houston in Webster (Texas)|Webster, Texas - 29.5519, -95.0983 - Space Center Houston Space Shuttle Mockup - NASA space museum, plus tram tours of Johnson Space Center, including astronaut training facilities, Mission Control, and the actual Apollo and Mercury launch vehicles.
  • National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton - 39.782, -84.1089 - National Museum of the United States Air Force NMUSAFExterior - The largest aviation museum in the world in the hometown of the Wright Brothers. Has historical experimental aircraft and missiles.
  • Armstrong Air and Space Museum in Wapakoneta Ohio - 40.5639, -84.1711 Armstrong Air and Space Museum Wapakoneta-ohio-armstrong-air-and-space-museum - A museum in the hometown of Neil Armstrong that hosts Apollo 11 artifacts and Moon rocks.
  • The Henry Ford - 42.303583, -83.234078 - The Henry Ford The Henry Ford 2011 A museum containing artifacts and prototypes from figures including Buckminster Fuller, The Wright Brothers,Igor Sikorsky, Thomas Edison, and Henry Ford.
  • Field Museum of Natural History - 41.866278, -87.617039 - Field Museum of Natural History FieldMuseum - Has rare finds in geology and paleontology, and operates labs related to paleontology.
  • National Cryptologic Museum - 39.1148, -76.7748 - National Cryptologic Museum Enigmas - A museum dedicated to the history of cryptology.
  • Living Computers: Museum + Labs - 47.5825, -122.335 - Living Computers: Museum + Labs Living Computer Museum exterior - A museum of computing history.
  • National Air and Space Museum - NASM | 38.888333, -77.02 - National Air and Space Museum Smithsonian Air and Space Museum - - Houses the Apollo 11 Command Module (First manned moon mission), Bell X1 (First plane to reach mach 1), SpaceShipOne (First manned private spacecraft), and the Spirit of St. Louis (First nonstop transatlantic flight)

Oceania

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  • Powerhouse Museum - 500 Harris Street, Sydney/Darling Harbour|Ultimo -33.878611, 151.199444 If walking, follow the signs from Darling Harbour near the Exhibition Centre. If driving, access via Harris Street ☎ +61 2 9217 0111 Opening Hours: 10:00-17:00 daily $10 adults, $5 children Powerhouse Museum - The Powerhouse Museum is a large museum, crucially of popular culture. It has displays on the history of fashion and transport, decorative arts, music, and space exploration exhibits. It also partly plays on a sci-tech theme, with interactive hands-on and discovery displays of technology, design and industry There is usually a special exhibition on as well. There are in-depth displays for all ages, but also displays especially created for young children to discover and play.
  • Questacon - The National Science and Technology Centre | King Edward Terrace, Parkes, Canberra -35.298056, 149.131389 ☎ +61 2 6270-2800 1800 020 603 Opening Hours: 09:00-17:00 $15.50 adults, $10.50 concessions, $9 children, and $46 for a family of 2 adults and 3 children Questacon - Questacon is an interactive museum of science with exhibits illustrating scientific ideas from the principles of physics to the motion of an earthquake. Great for kids and excellent science books can be picked up here. Allow at least half a day.

South America

  • Alcântara, in Northeast (Brazil)|Northeast Brazil, is the rocket launch site for the Brazilian Space Agency, and hosts a museum on the site
  • Kourou in French Guyana hosts the Guyana Space Centre and the primary rocket launch site for the European Space Agency.
  • Bogotá in Colombia, has some of the most interesting museums, Gold Museum, and The Archeology Museum: Casa Marqués de San Jorge.

Asia

  • National Museum of Nature and Science Japan - 35.716319, 139.776544 - National Museum of Nature and Science NMNC01s3200 -
  • National Museum of Ethnology Japan - 34.812861, 135.529683 - National Museum of Ethnology (Japan) National museum of ethnology Japan
  • Tanegashima Space Center - TNSC | 30.4, 130.97 - Tanegashima Space Center JAXA TNSC Yoshinobu LP2 - - The location where JAXA launches their rockets.
  • National Science Museum South Korea - 36.376155, 127.375071 - National Science Museum, South Korea
  • Pusat Sains Negara Malaysia - National Science Centre - 3.14939, 101.64475 - Pusat Sains Negara Science Centre Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -
  • National Science Centre, Delhi - 28.613243, 77.245300 - National Science Centre, Delhi National Science Centre Delhi 19920109-228
  • China Science and Technology Museum 39.968611, 116.386389 - China Science and Technology Museum Beijing science and technology museum 14 Aug 2010
  • National Science Museum Thailand 1 4.048611, 100.717222 - National Science Museum (Thailand)
  • Bandung Geological Museum Indonesia - 6.9007, 107.6215 - Bandung Geological Museum - - Museum with a focus on meteorites.
  • National Science and Technology Museum Taiwan - NSTM | 22.6417, 120.3227 - National Science and Technology Museum Kaohsiung National Science and Technology Museum 01
  • Baikonur Cosmodrome Kazakhstan - The spaceport that launched Yuri Gagarin into space. Still operational today for Roscosmos.
  • The Mind Museum Philippines - 14.5523, 121.04567 - The Mind Museum Mind Museum -

Laboratories

CERN Aerial View - CERN Aerial View of LHC accelerator and it's experiments (Lake Geneva in the background)

Europe

Many European countries participate on the European Organization for Nuclear Research, which has his laboratories including the famous Large Hadron Collider on the French/Swiss border. Plus the bigger European countries like France, Germany, Italy and UK operate national laboratories. Most laboratories have open days for public visits.

  • Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives - CEA | 48.725135, 2.150346 - French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission - The CEA has 5 divisions: nuclear energy, technological research, life sciences, sciences of matter and military applications. It has one of the top 100 supercomputers in the world and the Tera-100.
  • CEA Saclay - 48.719798, 2.149123 South of Paris, RER B + bus A The biggest research center of the CEA hosts nuclear research reactors.
  • CERN - European Organization for Nuclear Research | 1211 Geneva 23, Switzerland 46.234167, 6.052778 Tram 18, final stop "CERN" ☎ +41 22 767 4052 - CERN t CERN and the European Organization for Nuclear Research, physicists and engineers are probing the fundamental structure of the universe. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the world's largest experiment and most complex scientific accelerator. Founded in 1954 and the CERN laboratory sits astride the Franco-Swiss border near Geneva. The weak force got discovered here in 1973 and in 1983 subsequently the West and Z bosons. In 1995 it created the first Anti-Hydrogen atoms of which the ASACUSA experiment can since 2014 produce a beam of. In 2012 the ATLAS and CMS experiment announced the discovery of a boson with 125 GeV, whose properties got confirmed to be the long-sought Higgs boson.
  • Microcosm - 46.23394, 6.05573 Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 08:30-17:30, Saturday 09:00-17:00 (There may be some exceptional closures at holidays) free of charge In front of the entrance of the CERN laboratory there is a permanent exposition retracing its history.
  • CERN Guided Tours - Both as individual or as group it is feasible from time to time to visit the experiments.
  • DESY (Hamburg)
  • FAIR
  • Gran Sasso
  • National Physical Laboratory - Hampton Road, Teddington, UK 51.426389, -0.343611 Buses 281, 285, R68, 33, 481 and X26 serve Teddington, trains from London Waterloo ~30 mins free - registration required National Physical Laboratory (United Kingdom) The National Physical Laboratory is the birthplace of atomic timekeeping. In the 1950s, Louis Essen and John Parry constructed the atomic clock, Caesium Mk. 1. This new clock kept time more accurately. It paved the way for redefining the second in 1967, based on the fundamental properties of CS atoms, rather than the quite irregular Earth rotation. The facilities in Teddington are among the world's most extensive and sophisticated for measurement science. On 20 May 2014, NPL Open House will give people the chance to explore much of the science that goes on at NPL and the facilities that are used to do NPL Open House 2014]. While children are allowed and the exhibits are aimed for adults, and children must be kept under adult supervision at all times.
  • Rutherford Appleton Laboratory - ALT | Chilton, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom 51.573333, -1.314722 ☎ +44 1235 445000 free, registration required Rutherford Appleton Laboratory The Rutherford Appleton Laboratory is a national scientific research laboratories in the UK operated by the Science and Technology Facilities Council. It is a multidisciplinary centre for research both in physical and life sciences. It had in 1957 a 50 MeV proton linear accelerator. RAL hosts ISIS, a spallation neutron source and the Central Laser Facility. RAL organises a monthly public scientific lecture: Talking Science.

North America

DOE Laboratories

In the United States overseen by the United States Department of Energy (DOE) the Office of science operates ten national laboratories. In total there are 17 national laboratories funded by the DOE. Most of the sites hold open houses where the public can come in for free and see how American tax dollars are invested in research. This used to include nuclear facilities, but those have been restricted since 9/11.

  • Ames Laboratory - Ames Lab | 42.0305, -93.6482 Iowa State University campus ☎ +1 515 294-9750 Ames Laboratory mes Laboratory conducts research into various areas, including the synthesis and study of new materials, energy resources, high-speed computer design, and environmental cleanup and restoration. The Ames Project purpose was to produce high purity uranium to accompany the Manhattan Project. It's most notable faculty member Dan Shechtman won the 2011 Chemistry Nobel price. Contact the Lab in advance of your visit. Group tours can be arranged through the public affairs office.
  • Argonne National Laboratory - Argonne | 9700 S. Cass Avenue Argonne, IL 60439 41.709166, -87.981992 Metra train to the Westmont Metra station + PACE bus #715 ☎ +1 630 252-5562 Argonne National Laboratory rgonne National Laboratory was founded in 1946 to carry out Enrico Fermi's work on nuclear reactors as part of the Manhattan Project. Today Argonne is a multidisciplinary science and engineering research center, to address vital national challenges in clean energy, environment, technology and national security. Argonne welcomes all members of the public age 16 or older to take guided tours of the scientific and engineering facilities and grounds. Tours last about two and a half hours and are by reservation only (call or email).
  • Brookhaven National Laboratory - Brookhaven Lab | William Floyd Parkway, County Road 46 40.873346, -72.872057 Ronkokoma station from the Long Island Rail Road (LIR) + Taxi - Brookhaven National Laboratory - Brookhaven National Laboratory is a multipurpose research institution funded primarily by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science. Located on the center of Long Island, New York, Brookhaven Lab operates large-scale facilities for studies in physics, chemistry, biology, medicine and applied science. It is the home of the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, which first observed/created the Quark-Gluon-Plasma. Brookhaven scientists won 7 Nobel prices including the Ribosome discovery (2022). The lab is open to the public on Sundays during the summer for tours and special programs.
  • Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory - Fermilab | Kirk Road and Pine Street in Batavia, Illinois 41.831944, -88.257222 ☎ +1 630 840-8258 Opening Hours: 8:00AM Monday - 8:00PM, 8:00AM Monday - 6:00PM November - March Fermilab - Fermilab is a US Department of Energy national laboratory specializing in high-energy particle physics. Hence many components of the Large Hadron Collider got engineered and tested here. The Top quark was discovered in 1995 by both the CDF and DØ experiments of the Tevatron accelerator at Fermilab. The 2008 Nobel price was given for the prediction of the third generation of quarks (Bottom and Top quarks). Fermilab visitors are allowed to visit two buildings on their own: the first and ground floor of Wilson Hall and the Lederman Science Center, Groups of six or more must book a visit by calling the Center.
  • Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory - Berkeley Lab | 37.877004, -122.24655 Lab bus from the Berkeley downtown BART station, otherwise 15min walk uphill - Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) was founded in 1931 by Ernest Orlando Lawrence. 13 Nobel prizes have been awarded to LBNL scientists and the most recent one (2023) for the discovery of the accelerated expansion of the Universe. It started as a particle physics laboratory, became involved for the study of nuclear matter and discovered 16 chemical elements. It is today a multi-program research site. Visitors need special clearance or may take advantage of the open days. The site on top of the hill nicely overlooks the San Francisco Bay.
  • Oak Ridge National Laboratory - ORNL | Oak Ridge, TN 37831 35.933333, -84.316667 7 miles from the center of the city of Oak Ridge ☎ +1 865 574-7199 - Oak Ridge National Laboratory - The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is a multiprogram science and energy laboratory, with scientific and technical capabilities spanning from basic to applied research. ORNL is famous to host the Titan supercomputer. The Spallation Neutron Source is an accelerator-based neutron source facility that provides the most intense pulsed neutron beams in the world for scientific research and industrial development. Oak Ridge National Laboratory hosts thousands of visitors every year. It is very important, if you are not a DOE or DOE contractor employee, to arrange your visit to ORNL ahead of time.
  • Pacific Northwest National Laboratory - PNNL | 902 Battelle Boulevard, Richland, WA 46.343224, -119.276333 - Pacific Northwest National Laboratory The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has many research projects for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the National Nuclear Security Administration. All PNNL visitors, regardless of nationality, will need to have visitor badges to go past the Lobby.
  • Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory - PPPL | 100 Stellarator Road Princeton, NJ, 08540 40.348825, -74.602183 NJ Transit Northeast Corridor line train (southbound) to Trenton Station / switch to the SEPTA R7 train to Philadelphia; From the West Trenton Station (I-95 south, exit 2, Bear Tavern Road south) take the SEPTA R3 train to Philadelphia ☎ +1 609 243-2000 Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 09:00-14:00 Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory researches plasma physics and nuclear fusion science. PPPL is located on Princeton University's Forrestal Campus. The free tours are led by engineers and physicists who can answer questions about magnetic fusion. In order to visit email to request a tour and give PPPL two weekdays when you would like to visit and some background on your group, including where your group is from, how many people are in your group and the age-range and the educational background of your group.
  • SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory - Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, SLAC | Sand Hill Road 37.414722, -122.221667 - SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory The SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory does experimental and theoretical research in elementary particle physics using electron beams and a broad program of research in atomic and solid-state physics, chemistry, biology, and medicine using synchrotron radiation. It discovered the charm quark and the quark structure inside the protons and neutrons and the tau lepton (3 Nobel prizes). At this time, all public and educational tours of the laboratory have been suspended. SLAC hopes to have them back and asks to check their website periodically for updates.
  • Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility - Jefferson Lab | openhouse2014@ Newport News, VA 37.0947, -76.4817 Opening Hours: May 17, 2014 9AM Monday - 3PM Free Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility The Jefferson Lab main facility is the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility, which is 1400m in length and accelerates electrons up to 6 GeV. The most powerful free-electron laser in the world has an output of over 14 kilowatts. The lab has an open house once a year that includes a tour of the accelerator tunnel and the free electron laser. No registration of visitors is required during the open house. The open house tours involve extended periods of walking, and many tour stops include stairs. Also, much of the event is outdoors.

Other Laboratories

  • Biosphere 2 - 32540 A Biosphere Road, Mile marker 96.5, Oracle, AZ 32.578778, -110.850594 .5 hour north of Tucson on Hwy 77 ☎ +1 520-838-6139 Opening Hours: 9AM Monday - 4PM daily, no reservations required $20/adults, $13/children Biosphere 2 This facility was designed as an artificially closed complete ecology, and was the setting for research on human interaction with natural systems. The site is now owned and maintained by the University of Arizona, which conducts tours for the public. Beware that the scientific credentials of the initial project phase is quite unclear as it started as theatre group. For example no input was taken from the Antarctic research stations, where researcher experience extreme confinement.
  • McMurdo Station - 77.85, 166.666667 - McMurdo Station McMurdo Station - An American research station that doubles as the largest community in Antarctica.

Observatories

See also: [[Astronomy

Europe

  • ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre - Karl-Schwarzschild-Straße 2, Garching (near Munich, Germany) 48.26025, 11.670878 ☎ +49 89 32006900 Opening Hours: 9AM–5PM ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre A - The ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre is a cutting-edge free astronomy centre for the public located at the site of ESO Headquarters in Garching bei München, providing you with an immersive experience that will leave you in awe of the Universe we live in.
  • European Space Agency's Columbus Control Centre - Münchener Straße 20,82234 Weßling 50.8525, 7.13188 20km (12 mi) outside of Munich in Oberpfaffenhofen ☎ +49 8153 28-2711 Opening Hours: every day from 15:00-16:00 (registration required, groups limited to 30 persons) until "Blue Dot" space mission is in space, afterwards depending on space missions free Columbus Control Centre is used to control the Columbus research laboratory of the International Space Station, as well as a ground control centre for the Galileo satellite navigation system. It is located at a large research facility of the German Aerospace Centre. (DLR). [https://]], [[ German registration form

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  • Stjerneborg observatory, Hven Island, Sweden - observatory Tycho Brahe's.
  • University Observatory Vienna - Universitäts Sternwarte | Türkenschanzstraße 17, Währing, Wien, Austria 48.230633, 16.335735 - Universität Sternwarte 1 - The Institute of Astronomy is part of the University of Vienna, located inside a fabulous historic building. The building and the Sternwartepark were closed for visitors up until recently. The park contains many rare trees. It has a mini observatory on the roof. Guided Tours in Science tourism by ehalal.io (email for prices) are available.

North America

  • Mt Graham International Observatory - MGIO | 1651 West Discovery Park Blvd, Safford, AZ 32.7013, -109.892 Discovery Park Campus ☎ +1 928-428-6260 Opening Hours: May-Oct, depending on weather $40/person, includes lunch Mount Graham International Observatory Operated by the University of Arizona and situated in the Pinaleño Mountains west of Safford (Arizona)|Safford, this observatory offers periodic tours for the public. Reservations required, preferably two or more weeks in advance. Tours depart from the Discovery Park Campus in Safford.
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  • Kitt Peak National Observatory - Tohono O'Odham Reservation, AZ 31.958333, -111.596667 90 minutes southwest of Tucson ☎ +1 520-318-8726 Opening Hours: 9AM Monday - 3:45PM daily $9.75 for all three tours (adults) Kitt Peak National Observatory Operates several astronomical telescopes plus a large solar telescope. Several guided tours are available, as well as a nightly observation program (reservations required).
  • McDonald Observatory - outside of Fort Davis, Texas 30.6714, -104.022 - McDonald Observatory
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  • Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory - 670 Mt Hopkins Road, Amado, AZ 31.6811, -110.878 one hour due south of Tucson off I-19 ☎ +1 520-879-4407 Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 8:30AM Monday - 4:30PM Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory Call ahead for tour information.
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  • Lowell Observatory - 1400 West Mars Hill Road, Flagstaff, AZ 35.202778, -111.664444 - Lowell Observatory mong other historical achievements, this is the observatory where Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto, and you can still see the telescope he used to do it.
  • NRAO Very Large Array - outside of Socorro, NM 34.078749, -107.617728 US Rt 60 between Phoenix, AZ and Socorro, NM runs right through the complex. - Very Large Array - Huge, iconic radio telescope array featured in numerous films and TV shows, which still performs cutting edge observations. Self-guided tour allows you to walk around the base of one of the dishes and see into the maintenance facility. Occasional guided tours (see website) give you a closer look.
  • NRAO Green Bank Observatory - 155 Observatory Road, Green Bank, WV 24944 38.433139, -79.821306 - Green Bank Observatory A Tucked away in the beautiful West Virginia Mountains, in the middle of the National Radio Quiet Zone, this is the largest fully steerable single dish radio telescope in the world.

South America

While the headquarters of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) are in Garching near Munich, Germany the observatories are located in northern Chile.

  • ESO La Silla Observatory
| Coquimbo Region, Chile - GPS: -29.256529, -70.738098 Opening Hours: La Silla Observatory La_Silla_Aerial_View - The La Silla Observatory is located on the outskirts of the Chilean Atacama Desert, 600 kilometers north of Santiago de Chile and at an altitude of 2400 metres.
  • ESO Paranal Observatory
| Cerro Paranal, Chile - GPS: -24.634979, -70.4028359 Opening Hours: Paranal Observatory Laser_Towards_Milky_Ways_Centre - At 2635 metres above sea level in the Atacama Desert of Chile, ESO’s Paranal Observatory is one of the very best astronomical observing sites in the world and is the flagship facility for European ground-based astronomy.

}} - ESO/NAOJ/NRAO ALMA - Llano de Chajnantor, Chile -23.01928, -67.75318 Atacama Large Millimeter Array ALMA Antennas on Chajnantor - - High on the Chajnantor plateau in the Chilean Andes and the European Southern Observatory (ESO), together with its international partners, is operating the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) — a state-of-the-art telescope to study light from some of the coldest objects in the Universe.

Africa

South Africa

  • SALT Telescope - Southern African Large Telescope - 32.376006, 20.810678 - Southern African Large Telescope Southern African Large Telescope 720x576px - is the largest single optical telescope in the southern hemisphere and among the largest in the world.
  • KAT-7, MeerKAT, PAPER, and SKA Africa - -30.721, 21.411 - MeerKAT - The SKA Telescope is the most powerful telescope ever conceived. Its precursor, MeerKAT, is already the most powerful telescope every built. Most of it is to be built in Africa under the auspices of SKA Africa. The core of the telescope is located near Carnarvon, on the Northern Cape, with more dishes located in Botswana, Madagascar, Mozambique, Zambia, Namibia, Mauritius and Ghana.
  • South African Astronomical Observatory - SAAO | -32.379444, 20.810556 Cape Town - South African Astronomical Observatory South African Astronomical Observatory (sutherland aerial view) - The national centre for optical and infrared astronomy in South Africa. The Observatory has a fascinating history dating back to 1820, which is when the main building was constructed, making it one of the oldest permanent structures in Cape Town. Owing to light and air pollution in the city, most of the actual observing happens in Sutherland in the Northern Cape, about 380 kilometers from Cape Town. Some of the telescopes in Cape Town are still used for outreach and public events.

Namibia

  • H.E.S.S. Telescope - -23.271333, 16.5 - High Energy Stereoscopic System HESS II gamma ray experiment five telescope array - One of the leading observatories studying very high energy (VHE) gamma-ray astrophysics.

Universities

The most prestigious universities generally attract excellent scientists and have fine science programs. University campuses are usually open to the public, though permission from guards is sometimes required, and there may be some café or cafeteria or mensa or restaurant or even a university shop on site. Universities usually offer public lectures about ongoing research. Otherwise and their seminars and buildings are reserved for the students and the working faculty including post-doctoral researchers or professors. On weekends or holidays, many universities require special permits to enter. Universities compete on a worldwide basis; hence and they are not ordered by geographical position or alphabetized. Below is a list of the 20 highest-ranked universities according to 2013/2014 QS world university ranking (of course rankings may differ according to year and specific subject).

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology - MIT | 42.35982, -71.09211 - Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
  • Harvard University - Harvard | 42.374444, -71.116944 - Harvard University Established in 1636 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard is the oldest institution of higher education in the United States.
  • University of Cambridge - Cambridge | The Old Schools, Trinity Lane, Cambridge, CB2 1TN, UK 52.205278, 0.117222 - University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. It was established in 1209 making it the world's third-oldest university. It includes 31 constituent colleges and academic departments which are organised into six Schools. 90 Nobel laureates count as affiliated.
  • University College London - UCL | Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom 51.524789, -0.133578 ☎ +44 20 7679 2000 - University College London - University College London is a public research university in London, England. It is based in the heart of London. It was established in 1826. There are 27 Nobel Prize winners and three Fields Medallists amongst UCL's alumni and current and former staff.
  • Imperial College London - Imperial | South Kensington Campus, London, SW7 2AZ 51.498308, -0.176882 ☎ +44 20 7589 5111 - Imperial College London - Imperial College London is a public research university located in London, England specialised in science, engineering, medicine and business. The former constituent college of the federal University of London became independent in 2007. Imperial is locate in Central London. It lists currently 15 Nobel laureates and two Fields Medallists amongst Imperial's alumni and current and former faculty.
  • University of Oxford - Oxford | University Offices, Wellington Plaza, Oxford, OX1 2JD, United Kingdom 51.755, -1.255 ☎ +44 1865 270000 - University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university located in Oxford, England. Oxford publishes a leaflet Explore the University of Oxford, which contains a map and information on opening times of colleges, museums and other places of interest. The main places of interest are only a few minutes walk from the main rail and coach stations. Oxford open days in 2014 will be on the 2 July, 3 July and 19 September. Due to high demand, many colleges and some departments require advance booking for their events.
  • Stanford University - Leland Stanford Junior University, Stanford | 450 Serra Mall, Stanford, CA 94305–2004 37.428229, -122.168858 ☎ +1 650 723-2300 - Stanford University Stanford University is a private research university in Stanford, California founded in 1885. 58 Nobel laureates have been affiliated with the university. The Stanford campus offers sightseeing and educational opportunities for tourists and first-time visitors. There are student led walking tours.
  • Yale University - Yale | 41.311111, -72.926667 - Yale University Yale University is a private research university located in New Haven, Connecticut. Fifty-one Nobel laureates have been affiliated with the University as students, faculty, or staff.
  • University of Chicago - UChicago, Chicago | 41.789722, -87.599722 - University of Chicago The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois.
  • California Institute of Technology - Caltech | 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena 34.138577, -118.125494 Situated in the heart of Pasadena at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains, Caltech's campus is 10 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles and roughly 30 miles from the ocean. The Caltech and JPL campuses are readily accessible by car, shuttle, bike, and public transit. - California Institute of Technology - The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech is a world-renowned research and education institution dedicated to advancing science and engineering. Tours are offered for prospective students on holidays or high school groups. Caltech also offers a self guided walking tour with booklet.
  • Princeton University - Princeton, New Jersey 40.345278, -74.656111 Princeton University, its historic campus is located in the heart of Princeton, New Jersey. The transportation network of bus, rail and highways puts Princeton within reach (an hour or less) of major urban centers: Philadelphia and Trenton to the south, Newark and New York to the north. - Princeton University Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey. It was established in 1747.
  • ETH Zürich - Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich | 47.3763, 8.54805 - ETH Zurich This Swiss Federal Institute of Technology is an engineering, science, technology, mathematics and management university. Twenty-one Nobel Prizes have been awarded to students or professors and the most famous of which is Albert Einstein in 1921. It is currently the top-ranked university in continental Europe.
  • University of Pennsylvania - 39.953885, -75.193048 - University of Pennsylvania Penn campus 2
  • Columbia University - 40.8075, -73.961944 - Columbia University Alma Mater, Columbia University (6435262141)
  • Cornell University - 42.447222, -76.483056 - Cornell University Risley hall, backyard (cropped)
  • John Hopkins University - 39.328889, -76.620278 - Johns Hopkins University Hopkinslogo2.jpeg
  • University of Edinburgh - 55.947389, -3.187194 - University of Edinburgh Old College Quad
  • University of Toronto - UofT | 43.665182, -79.395659
  • Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne - 46.520278, 6.565556
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne EPFL campus 2017
  • King's College London - KCL | 51.511944, -0.116111 - King's College London Maughanclocktower

Other

  • Hofmeyr Skull, The Hofmeyr Skull is a specimen of a 36,000-year-old skull found in the 1950s near Hofmeyr, South Africa. The samples age /research/hofmeyr-skull-supports-out-of-africa-theory supports the so-called "Out of Africa" theory that modern humans evolved from Africa.
  • Groote Schuur Hospital, On December 3, 1967, 53-year-old Lewis Washkansky received the first human heart transplant at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa. The procedure was performed by Dr. Christiaan Barnard.

Local Languages

Historically, most European scientists had published their findings in Latin. However, this began to change during the Enlightenment, when (German), French and English emerged as the main scientific languages. However, German would lose its prestige after Germany's defeat in World War I, and French would gradually lose its prestige after the collapse of the French colonial empire and French global power following World War II. During the Cold War, Russian would emerge as one of the main scientific languages, but would also lose its significance following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Since then, virtually all significant scientific findings have been published in English, and even non-English-speaking countries tend to produce more scientific publications in English that in their native languages. As such, all reputable scientists will generally have at least some command of English, even if English is otherwise not widely spoken in their respective countries.

Publications, Conferences and Seminars

Scientific findings are generally published in the form of peer-reviewed journal articles, and these are the benchmark through which most scientists are judged when applying for jobs, while PhD students in the sciences are generally required to publish these in order to graduate. The most prestigious journals are Science] and Nature], which publish weekly and cover the full range of scientific disciplines, as well as Cell, which publishes twice a month and specialises in the life sciences. Publication in these journals is extremely competitive and difficult, and outside the top American and British universities, most scientists go through their entire careers without ever publishing in one of these. That said and there have also been cases of scientists winning Nobel prizes despite publishing in much less prestigious journals. Collections of these journals are held in many university libraries. While you can in theory pay for subscriptions to one or more of these journals, most of the research articles go into too much technical jargon to be comprehensible to the general public. That said, both Science and Nature publish news and editorial articles that are written in a form that is much easier for people without specialist knowledge to understand.

As an alternative to reading scientific journals, consider reading scientific magazines. These typically take the latest and most important findings and distill them into a form that is more comprehensible to the general public. Examples of such magazines include New Scientist] and Scientific American].

Scientists also often travel to conferences in order to present their work in person and network with fellow scientists from around the world. Conferences are often tailored towards a very specific scientific discipline. While these are in theory open to anyone who is willing to pay the conference registration fee and the presentations and discussions usually go into so much technical detail and jargon that they would be virtually incomprehensible to somebody without specialist training.

An alternative to going to a conference is to attend a public lecture, in which leading scientists are sometimes asked to present their work in a form that is more accessible to the general public. Universities often also host scientists to give a seminar, and while often open to the general public and these are generally targeted towards fellow scientists in the same broad area of specialisation, and would be difficult for people without specialist training to understand.

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