We are OPEN today and ALL WEEK! Come visit us for some Spring Break STEM fun!

Two more days until the new traveling Playing With Light exhibit opens at McWane!

Horizontal image shows two interacting galaxies forming a large, wide V shape that’s bright red overall. NGC 4490 occupies the left side of the image, while NGC 4485 appears as a white glowing hue in the top right of the field. Both galaxies are connected by a bright stream of red stretching from the top left of the image, through the bottom center, and ending at the right under galaxy NGC 4485. There are regions of bright blue gas visible in concentrated areas of the red stream. The background is black with multiple galaxies in various shapes throughout.

It may look like a phoenix, but these are actually two dwarf galaxies entangled in a gravitational dance.💃 #NASAWebb shows the wispy bridge of gas that connects NGC 4490 and NGC 4485 and the stellar populations within. Credit: ESA, NASA, CSA.

Jellyfish sleep like humans — even though they don’t have brains Studying ancient sea creatures’ snoozing habits could shed light on the origins of sleep.

Ah, to be a sleepy jellyfish, bobbing along in World of Water.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...

The foggy view from the top of McWane Science Center's parking deck this morning.

This weekend is the last weekend to experience The Magic of Model Trains AND Mission: Astronaut! January 4th is the final day.

A very happy Dewey Decimal System Day to our Library friends!📖 📚

NASA Shares Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Images - NASA+ Live event to share imagery of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS collected by a number of the agency's missions.

Comet 3I/ATLAS is only the third object ever identified as entering our solar system from elsewhere in the galaxy. NASA will host a live event at 3 p.m. EST, Wednesday, Nov. 19, to share imagery of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS collected by a number of the agency’s missions. 🔭 🧪

Leonid meteor shower: How and when to view the peak | CNN November’s Leonid meteor shower peaks this week. Here’s how and when to see the Leonids.

Sky-gazers worldwide may get the chance to see a celestial display this week as the annual Leonid meteor shower reaches its peak.

👽 Why haven't aliens visited our solar system?
They read the reviews and saw we only had one star.☀️

A giant star-forming region in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Shafts of golden light bursting out of a central glowing orb cut through misty purple clouds. Pink rays burst from the glowing orb.

A star-forming region in our Milky Way galaxy. This image resembles a tangle of dark pink hair flowing upward that is dotted with dozens of colorful orbs in various sizes.

A system where two galaxies are in the process of merging set against a star-filled black background. Two white clusters meet, backed by hot pink tendrils, swirls of speckled orange, and gauzy steel blue ribbons. They gleam with golden shafts of light.

The Chandra observatory is adding a pop of pink to our day! X-ray light shines through these #NASAWebb images of merging galaxies and star-forming regions. Chandra released a collection of images that showcase how it complements other observatories: https://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2025/cosmic/ 🔭 🧪

Astronomers Have Discovered Earth’s Latest Quasi-Lunar Moon As mankind was planning the first moon landing in the 1960s, an asteroid approached Earth—and still hasn’t left.

Wake up, babe. New quasi-lunar moon just dropped.
www.wired.com/story/astron...

McWane Members! Join us for an evening of thrills, chills, and hands-on science surprises this Sunday, October 26th from 5 - 7 PM!

❄️Registration for Winter Camps is now open!⛄️ Winter Camp dates are December 29, 2025 - January 2, 2026. Keep the curiosity (and fun!) going over winter break with McWane Science Center’s Winter Camps! Learn more: mcwane.org/learning/par...

❄️Registration for Winter Camps is now open!⛄️ Winter Camp dates are December 29, 2025 - January 2, 2026. Keep the curiosity (and fun!) going over winter break with McWane Science Center’s Winter Camps! Learn more: mcwane.org/learning/par...

Why shouldn't you let an appalachiosaurus borrow your car?
Everyone knows a tyrannosaur wrecks!

"You look happier"
Thanks, I just pet a stingray at the Touch Tank.

Scientists have released the closest images ever taken near the sun, captured by NASA’s Parker Solar Probe flying 3.8 million miles above the solar surface.

See more images of solar eruptions on the sun: wapo.st/3Irm3P3

A Denver science museum found its newest fossil by accident... in its own parking lot Denver museum officials found a fossil 750 feet under a parking lot through a 5-inch opening.

Looking over at our parking deck like 👀🔨

@npr.org www.npr.org/2025/07/13/n...

The amazing first images from the Rubin Observatory have just been released! These images showcase galaxy clusters, nebulae, and over 2,100 previously unknown asteroids.

Appalachiosaurus montgomerensis reconstructed skeleton mount

Selfie of Henry and Skye in front of the Appalachiosaurus mount

Appalachiosaurus montgomerensis, a tyrannosaur from the late Cretaceous of Alabama. With @zhejiang0pterus.bsky.social at @mcwanescience.bsky.social

Happy weekend!

New Jersey is a fossil hotspot, with answers about the day the dinosaurs died Paleontologist Ken Lacovara never expected to find critical fossil data in a New Jersey suburb—let alone info about the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs. His dig site is now a fossil park and museum...

Paleontologist Ken Lacovara never expected to find critical fossil data in a New Jersey suburb—let alone info about the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs. His dig site is now a fossil park and museum.

🔬⚗️🩻🧀🚀 Happy National Science Appreciation Day! What area of science do you appreciate today?

Have you been to one of our 21+ events? What did you think? We want to hear what you liked, didn't like, and what you think would be a fun themed night for future events!

Due to the threat of inclement weather, McWane Science Center will be closed on Saturday, March 15th, 2025. We plan to be open as normal on Sunday.

If there are updates to changes in our hours, we will post on our socials and website.

Stay safe, Alabama!

Pi Day (3.14) is tomorrow! Join us for a day filled with math, science, and, of course, pie! Explore the magic of π (pi) with fun hands-on activities and interactive demonstrations. Whether you’re a math whiz or just here for the puns, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

How to see the 'blood worm moon' total lunar eclipse tonight The "blood worm moon," so named for the reddish hue of its glow and the time of year it's occurring, will be visible in every U.S. state.

"Are you staying up to see the BLOOD WORM MOON tonight?" is a brand new sentence I didn't think I would ever say.
www.npr.org/2025/03/11/n...

A good day in the lab at @mcwanescience.bsky.social today, processing sediment from the PETM of Mississippi. An exciting fauna that not only includes an excellent ichthyofauna, but also mammals and palaeophid sea snakes. I've put in a lot of work on this project in the past year.

An Appalachiosaurus skeleton at McWane Science Center in Birmingham, AL.

Personally, I quite like Appalachiosaurus. But I may be bias.