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Chabot Space & Science Center Brings the Sky Down to Earth

      A museum is a sure bet for a fun afternoon with the kids. But how much do they really comprehend when all they can do is look and not touch? Impressionist paintings: colorful. Dinosaur bones: big. When it comes to exhibits about the universe, the concepts get so multifaceted that it seems unfair to expect them to walk away with any concrete understanding about what they just saw. It is tough enough to get my son to say “please” and “thank you,” let alone wrap his head around black holes and supernovas. But a recent visit to Chabot Space & Science Center made the vastness of space and all of its complexities tangible, exciting and totally fun.
     As soon as we walked past the ticket counter, we were greeted by a kind and eager docent who was happy to answer all my son’s question about Mars, a model of which sat in the middle of the rotunda. “What are all these things?” he asked, pointing to each of the circular indentations on the planet’s surface. After the docent explained that they were craters, formed by meteorites, he bent down to my son’s level.  
     “Have you ever held one?”
     “No… ”
     “I’ll be right back.”
     The next thing we knew, we were passing around a piece of a meteorite that had landed in Arizona. My son bobbed the surprisingly heavy black rock in his hand and looked up at the docent.
     “Wow!”
     This moment encapsulates the overall experience at Chabot. One way or another, every phenomenon that hovers beyond our atmosphere was put into the palm of our hands.
      Chabot was founded in 1883 as an observatory and remains the largest public telescope facility in the country, where visitors of all ages are invited to gaze and learn about the night sky through three telescopes, Nellie, Rachel and Leah. Chabot is open late every Friday and Saturday evening to offer telescope viewing when weather permits and holds occasional guided hikes after dark through the beautiful park that make up the center’s surrounding area. The planetarium is a state-of-the-art digital projection and sound system, featuring live and pre-recorded shows, including Cosmos 360, which explores distant stars and the animated Secret of the Carboard Rocket, which takes viewers on a kid-friendly yet detailed journey through the solar system.
      The exhibits throughout Chabot never dampened the excitement of those first moments with the meteorite. “Destination Universe” explores the farthest reaches of the cosmos. Hit a button and see what happens when two galaxies collide, or learn what happens to a star when it dies. Piece together the history of the universe in a puzzle or crawl through a black hole with your kid (even if you will feel ridiculous doing it, like I did!).  “Beyond Blastoff” is where you get to poke your head through a space suit, listen to transmissions from astronauts and try out their exercise gear.  While I loved learning about all of the spacecraft equipment on display, I spent most of the time manning the “spacecraft,” where my 5-year-old rolled around on his back and got to feel what it is like to work in a weightless environment. As far as he is concerned, it is super fun.
     Given that my kid is the product of a writer and an artist, I always thought the odds were against my ever uttering the words, “My son works for NASA.” It doesn’t help that American students have the dubious distinction of being stinky at science, thanks to a 2009 report that put U.S. scores in the bottom quarter of participating countries, lagging behind Canada and China. But according to a highly praised study by Robert Tai, an associate professor at the University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education, children with an early interest in science-related careers are three times as likely to earn a bachelor’s degree in the sciences. In other words, my son’s giggles over the spinning balls demonstrating the effects of gravity on celestial objects could spark an interest that will continue through adulthood.
     Let us hope that is true when it comes to Chabot’s latest and most interactive exhibit: “Bill Nye’s Climate Lab,” which seeks to inspire kids and their families to reduce energy consumption and find solutions to reverse climate change. Bill Nye, aka “Bill Nye The Science Guy,” is a scientist, author, engineer and comedian who made a career out of making science entertaining and accessible. Visitors can take a virtual bike ride to reduce greenhouse gasses, go on a hot air balloon journey exploring the atmosphere and pull and spin all sorts of levers and wheels to operate wind turbines, create hydro energy and manufacture biofuel. Each time you successfully solve a problem in order to reduce climate change, you can scan your personalized Climate Scout ID Badge, which is handed to you at the entrance.
      When visiting Chabot, it might be smart to plan your visit around Planetarium showtimes, which can be found online, as two shows are included with your admission. You could pack a lunch to save some money, but if you find yourself at the Skyline Bistro, you may be pleasantly surprised at the selection of fresh sandwiches and salads offered. Given that Chabot is located among Oakland’s most beautiful parkland, it would be well worth it to leave time to stop at the many surrounding parks for a hike or a playground visit.
     I sure would be proud if I ever got to join Neil Armstrong’s mother in uttering the phrase, “My son works for NASA.” But in all honesty, it does not really matter to me.  What matters is that my son is still talking about that meteorite. There is still a lifetime of learning ahead for him when it comes to the night sky. But thanks to Chabot, he got to hold part of it in his hands. That’s a
great start.

Chabot Space & Science Center, open 10a.m.–5p.m. Wed.–Thu. & Sun., 10 a.m.–10 p.m. Fri.–Sat., $11.95–$15.95, 10000 Skyline Boulevard, Oakland, (510) 336-7373, www.chabotspace.org

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