Liberty Science Center
Liberty Science Center is an interactive science museum and learning center located in Liberty State Park in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States. At its opening, it was the largest such planetarium in the Western Hemisphere and the world's fourth largest.
The center, which opened in 1993 as New Jersey's first major state science museum, has science exhibits, numerous educational resources, and the original Hoberman sphere, a silver, computer-driven engineering artwork designed by Chuck Hoberman.
History
Liberty Science Center completed a 22-month, $109 million expansion and renewal project on July 19, 2007. The expansion added to the facility, bringing it to nearly.In December 2017, the Science Center opened the Jennifer Chalsty Planetarium, a 400-seat facility with a dome in diameter and an diameter screen, named for the benefactor who contributed $5 million towards the cost of construction. Larger than New York City's Hayden Planetarium, at its opening, it was the largest such planetarium in the Western Hemisphere and the world's fourth largest.
In November 2025, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority awarded up to $39.8 million in tax credits over five years through its Cultural Arts Facilities Expansion program. The project, known as Project Supernova, will include a major expansion to the museum and add several outdoor exhibits and amenities, including:
- Physics-themed mini golf course
- Kids Corner, a playground with goats and a barn
- 9/11 memorial with two structural beams from the World Trade Center
- North America river otter indoor and outdoor habitat
- Replaces the Our Hudson Home exhibition with River Rising, a climate change-related exhibition about the Hudson River
- Relocating the traveling exhibition gallery from the fourth floor to a larger first-floor space to accommodate larger exhibition
- Upgrades to the Jennifer Chalsty Planetarium
- Expansion of the Wild About Animals habitat
Exhibits
Liberty Science Center's permanent exhibitions include:1st Floor
Cosmic Portal β The main entrance hallway with audiovisual effects designed to replicate entering a wormholeHoberman Sphere β The second largest Hoberman sphere in the world, designed by Chuck Hoberman2nd Floor
The Great Train Set β A 1:32 scale model train exhibit on the Lackawanna Railroad in the early 1950s, including a POV projection from miniature cameras on the trainBoom Time β An exhibit where objects such as watermelons, pumpkins, and bouncy balls are blown up with liquid nitrogenScience on a Sphere β An exhibit featuring the only official NOAA Science on a Sphere in New JerseyWobbly World β An exhibition for young children where they are invited to explore balance, motion, and cause and effectThe Liberty Express β A miniature passenger train holding up to 16 people3rd Floor
Wild About Animals β An animal exhibition of over 100 species, including cotton-top tamarin monkeys, naked mole-rats, leafcutter ants, and a piranha tankMicrobe Rule! β An exhibition featuring microbial art, a giant microscope, and an interactive paint-your-own microbe art exhibit- * Making Mammoths β An exhibition on George Church's Mammoth Revival Project, a project exploring a way to revive wooly mammoths using CRISPR gene editing on Asian elephantsDream Machine β A sensory adventure utilizing bicycle pumps to produce combinations of colors, sounds, and scents, each themed around human emotionsBees to Bots β An exhibition dedicated to honey bees, including a beehive and exhibits exploring how scientists study beesWonder Why β An exhibit intended to experience the "wonder and joy of science", including a rock climbing wall, a fluorescent mineral display, and optical illusionsJoseph D. Williams 3D Science Theater β A 3D theater featuring three shows, including a T. rex show, a show about oceans, and a Nikola Tesla phaser showTouch Tunnel β An 80-foot, crawl-through, pitch-black tunnelInfinity Climber β A netted suspended climbing play structure
4th Floor
Universe Revealed β An exhibition on the James Webb Space TelescopeEnergy Quest β An interactive exhibition on energy, including plasma, hydrocarbons, oil, nuclear power, and renewable energy such as solar and windKitty Hawk Flyer β An all-electric VTOL named The Flyer from Kitty Hawk where visitors can experience gliding over the waterPixel Art β A 952-dial pixel art wall where visitors can change the pixels to over 1,000 different colorsBrain Games β An interactive exhibit centered around critical thinking, including coding a robot to create platonic solids with magnets, create patterns using foam blocks, solving Rubik's cubes, and moreOur Hudson Home β An exhibit about the Hudson RiverOutdoors
Dino Dig Adventure β A 1,750 square foot outdoor exhibition with 60 tons of sand, where visitors can dig for dinosaur fossilsTemporary Exhibits
As of November 2025, Liberty Science Center's temporary exhibits include:SUE The T. rex Experience β An exact replica of the T. rex SUE's skeleton, including a multimedia simulation show Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood β An exhibit about Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, as well as character meet and greetsEducational Programs, Events, and Other Amenities
Educational
The museum offers various educational sessions for school-age students from PreK-12 during field trips, featuring different educational sessions at various exhibits throughout the museum. The museum features the Center for Learning and Teaching, which contains laboratory workshops designed for student sessions. Other student sessions include the Maker & Tech studio focused around programming and tech, a live surgical session, climate change programs, planetarium shows, a Science on a Sphere session, as well as additional early childhood programs. The museum also features stage shows for students grades PreK-8, which consists of live-action demonstrations. The museum also allows homeschool co-ops and are able to bring lecturers to schools.The Liberty Science Center also offers professional development sessions for teachers and schools to learn more about STEM subjects.
During the summer, Liberty Science Center offers the Partners in Science program, an 8-week summer high school STEM mentorship for rising high school juniors and seniors. There is also the Pathways to Partners in Science program, a two-week program intended for rising sophomores.
Events
Liberty Science Center's "LSC After Dark" is an 18+ event hosted on some Thursdays from 6-10PM. Each event features a different theme with a matching food menu, dance floor, live DJ, a full bar, and planetarium and laser shows, as well as Space Talk sessions with guest astronomers in the planetarium.The museum offer Community Evenings, which consists of free visitations for parents and students from qualifying school districts, which largely consists of disadvantaged municipalities.
The BASF's Kids' Lab is an interactive chemistry exhibit for children.
During the summers, Liberty Science Center has a Science Camp, which consists of weekly multi-day events for children between grades 1-8.
The museum offers Scouts programming to help scouts earn badges, as well as special scout-only sessions periodically throughout the year.
Other Amenities
In the lobby, there is a first aid and information desk, the box office, lockers, and the gift shop. On the second floor, dining options include the Cosmic Cafe, a cafeteria open to the general public, Galaxy Grab and Go, a vending machine room, and a group dining room for organized groups.Jennifer Chalsty Center for Science Learning and Teaching
In July 2007, the Jennifer Chalsty Center for Science Learning and Teaching opened. It is a facility extending over the entire former Invention Floor of Liberty Science Center, with six laboratories, a 150-seat theater, and other resources for teachers and students. Educators can upgrade science teaching skills and find peers to help strengthen science instruction in the classroom, while students can participate in intense, multi-day or single-hour programs to ignite interest and skills in science exploration.Planetarium shows include:Tonight's Sky Live β A show featuring live space imageryJourney to the Planets β A show featuring planets of the Solar SystemSpace Trip β A semi-fictional show featuring things from riding a roller coaster on Mars all the way to exploring the edge of the universeBlack Holes: The Other Side of Infinity β A show about black holes, as well as traveling to one at the center of the Milky WayOne World, Big Sky: Big Bird's Adventure β A Sesame Street themed show featuring Elmo and Big Bird, where they teach about the Big Dipper, the North Star, and the Sun and the Moon.Guest Talk β Guest astronomer talks occurring during LSC After Dark events