What are the opening hours?

Friday 1pm - 4pm Saturday 10am - 2pm Sunday 10am - 2pm

Explorit Science Center, 3141 5th Street, Davis, CA (2026)

09/28/2026

You are invited to Explorit Science Center's Community Meeting
to meet our new Executive Director, Dr. Kristen Koenig!

When: Saturday, October 3, from 1pm - 3pm
Where: Explorit Science Center (3141 5th Street, Davis)

08/28/2026

Upcoming Launch of NASA's
Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope

Saturday, August 29, 2026
7:00pm - 9:30pm

Explorit Science Center
Mace Ranch Park
(3141 5th Street, Davis)

by Vinita Domier
NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador

Everyone is invited to the Davis Astronomy Club meeting on Saturday, August 29th, starting at 7:00pm. We will discuss NASA's Roman Space Telescope indoors followed by a star party outdoors. The event is free, open to all ages, and will be held at Explorit Science Center (3141 5th Street, Davis).

NASA's newest space-based wide-field infrared telescope, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, is scheduled to be launched at 4:26am on Sunday, August 30, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The telescope is named after NASA's first female executive who also served as the first Chief of Astronomy in the 1960s and 1970s.

The Roman telescope will search for exoplanets - planets in star systems beyond our own solar system. It will also help in determining what constitutes dark matter that makes up 27% of the universe and dark energy that makes up 68% of the universe. (Ordinary visible matter makes up the rest of the 5% of the universe.)

The Roman telescope will orbit 1 million miles away from Earth at the second Sun-Earth Lagrange point (L2) where NASA's James Webb Space Telescope also orbits. As Roman's field of view is 100X larger than Hubble Space Telescope's, Roman will image more than 50X as much sky in 5 years that Hubble observed in 30 years.

For more information about Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope:
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/roman-space-telescope/

For more information about the meeting, please contact:
Vinita Domier at [email protected]

For more information about the Davis Astronomy Club, please visit:
https://www.explorit.org/astronomy-club
https://www.facebook.com/DavisAstronomyClub/

The following sleeping bag cover was found at the Grasslands Regional Park after the Perseid viewing event on August 12, 2026.

Please contact Vinita at vcdomier@yahoo to claim it.

08/27/2026

Near-Total Lunar Eclipse Viewing

Thursday, August 27, 2026
7:30pm - 9:30pm
Mace Park-N-Ride, Davis

by Vinita Domier
NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador

Everyone is invited to a special Davis Astronomy Club near-total lunar eclipse viewing on Thursday, August 27th, starting at 7:30pm. The event is free, open to all ages, and will be held at the Mace Park-N-Ride (off Mace Blvd at 2629 CR 32A, Davis) parking lot.

The Moon will not be 100% or totally eclipsed at this event, but will come very very close. As the Moon will be 96% eclipsed at maximum eclipse, this will be a very deep partial lunar eclipse. The near-total August 27 lunar eclipse be a wonderful celestial event to observe, weather permitting.

For western North American observers, the full Moon on August 27 will rise at 7:36pm in the eastern sky already partially eclipsed. The maximum partial eclipse will occur at 9:12pm, when most of the Moon will be in Earth's shadow. The partial phase of the lunar eclipse will end at 10:51pm.

Lunar eclipses occur when the Sun, the Earth, and the full-phase Moon, in that order, line up in space. A part or the entire Moon, now in the Earth’s shadow, is obscured as it is cut off from the direct light from the Sun resulting in a partial or a total eclipse of the Moon.

A total lunar eclipse occurs when the entire Moon is in the Earth's dark shadow. During the duration of totality, the Earth blocks direct sunlight from illuminating the Moon. However, the fully eclipsed Moon is dimly lit by the reddish parts of indirect sunlight passing through Earth's enveloping atmosphere. The Moon during totality is called a Blood Moon as it appears coppery red in color.

(Solar eclipses occur when the Sun, the new-phase Moon, and the Earth, in that order, line up in space. The shadow of the Moon then falls on a region of the Earth, obscuring part or all of Sun.)

Eclipses do not occur at every new and full Moon because the Moon does not orbit the Earth in the same plane as the Earth orbits the Sun. There are two periods, about six months apart, when these three solar system bodies - the Sun, Earth, and Moon - can align to produce the celestial phenomena of lunar and solar eclipses.

All lunar eclipses can be observed safely in their entirety with unaided eyes. Although no special equipment is needed to view a lunar eclipse, Davis Astronomy Club will have telescopes set up to look at the eclipsing Moon in detail. Please bring a chair or recliner to be comfortable while viewing the eclipse.

For more information about the August 27 deep partial lunar eclipse and live broadcast of the event:
https://griffithobservatory.lacity.gov/.../partial.../

For more information about the special viewing, please contact Vinita Domier at [email protected].

For more information about the Davis Astronomy Club, please visit:
https://www.explorit.org/astronomy-club

08/12/2026

2026 Perseid Meteor Shower Public Viewing
Wednesday, August 12th, 2026
9pm - Midnight

by Vinita Domier
NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador

Davis Astronomy Club and Explorit Science Center invite everyone to the free public viewing of the annual Perseid meteor shower and stargazing event on the evening of Wednesday, August 12, 2026, from 9pm - midnight, at Yolo County Grasslands Regional Park (30475 CR 104, 3.8 miles south of Davis).

Please note that attendees who would like to stay longer are welcome to stay past midnight, but cannot camp overnight at the Grasslands Park.

The Perseid meteor shower consistently provides good viewing of “shooting stars” during warm summer nights for northern observers from mid-July to late August when 60 – 100 meteors per hour can be seen under ideal viewing conditions - cloudless dark skies with no moonlight and far away from artificial lights. Many meteors of this particular meteor shower streak across the summer night sky in long, bright and colorful trails like celestial fireworks, delighting one and all.

The Perseid meteor shower peak activity in 2026 is occurring on the nights of August 12 and August 13, between midnight to 5am. This year's Perseid meteor shower promises to be a spectacular celestial show as the peak coincides with the new Moon phase on August 12. With no moonlight to interfere with the viewing, even relatively dim meteors will be visible away from city lights if skies are cloudless.

A meteor shower occurs when the orbiting Earth passes through the stream of debris left in the wake of a comet after it has made its close approach to the Sun. The heat of the Sun vaporizes the icy comet's frozen gases, releasing some of the dust particles and tiny rocky fragments embedded in the comet. These debris particles in outer space, collectively called meteoroids, continue to orbit the Sun in the same orbit as the parent comet. The Perseid meteor shower is attributed to the periodic Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle (orbital period of 133 years.)

If the Earth's orbital path happens to intersects the parent comet's orbital path, some of meteoroids get gravitationally accelerated into the Earth's upper atmosphere. Traveling at great speeds and colliding with the atmospheric gas particles, the meteoroids create visible glowing streaks in the sky known as meteors or "shooting stars". As this encounter between the Earth and the comet happens around the same time every year, the meteor shower occurs around the same time year after year.

During a meteor shower, the glowing meteor streaks can appear anywhere in the sky. However, the meteor trails seem to emanate from a certain region or constellation in the sky. The mid July - August meteor shower is named the Perseid meteor shower as the meteor trails seems to radiate from the Perseus Constellation region of the sky.

The optimal time to observe the most number of meteors per hour is between after midnight and before sunrise as then the viewer is on the side of the Earth that is encountering the meteors head-on. This year, as the new Moon will not be above the horizon at all, meteors will be visible the entire night from around 9pm to 5am.

No special equipment is needed to enjoy the Perseids. All you need to watch the annual 'fireworks' in the sky are clear dark skies with an unobstructed view from horizon to horizon. Lie down on a reclining chair or blanket, point your toes north-eastward, and look up in all directions. Bring jacket/hat/gloves, insect repellent, and a red-filtered light or a flashlight in a paper bag.

For more information please contact: Vinita Domier at [email protected]

05/12/2026

Friends of Explorit Science Center:

Thanks to the overwhelming generosity of our 60+ donors, we are ecstatic to announce that we reached our 2026 Big Day of Giving fundraiser goal!

We are deeply appreciative of your generous contributions!

Your ongoing donations, support, and volunteerism are very important to us as together we work towards reopening Explorit as a community STEAM hub.

Also, our wonderful community volunteers worked diligently at the two April spring cleaning events to beautify the grounds around Explorit.

Explorit is looking much better! But more work is still needed.

Please join us as we continue the gardening/clean-up work on May 17 and May 31. Volunteers of all ages are welcome.

• WHEN: Sunday, May 17 and Sunday, May 31
• TIME: Noon to 2:30pm (feel free to come for even part of the time)
• WHERE: Explorit Science Center (3141 5th Street, Davis)
• WHAT TO BRING: gloves; water
• BRING, IF YOU CAN: shovels; trowels; rakes; wheelbarrow;
kneeling-pads; other tools you like to work with

Note:
• Refreshments will be provided
• A Saturday event will be held in June
• Questions: Contact Julie at [email protected]

Again, a very big thank you to all our wonderful 2026 BDOG donors and to all our gardening/clean-up volunteers.

And thank you for believing in science, community, and curiosity.

Help us keep the momentum going! Please visit the following link to donate: https://www.explorit.org/donate

With gratitude,
Explorit Board of Trustees

📧 [email protected] 🌐 explorit.org

05/07/2026

Support Explorit on BDOG - Donate Today!

Thursday, May 7, is the last day of the Big Day of Giving event this year.

Please donate anytime today until midnight to help Explorit Science Center achieve, and hopefully surpass, our 2026 BDOG fundraiser goal of $10,000.

Any amount that you donate will be greatly appreciated and will expedite the reopening of Explorit as a hands-on STEAM community hub.

Your support is crucial in helping us fulfill Explorit's mission to inspire curiosity in science and nature within our community.

Today, your BDOG donation can go even further thanks to prize boosts and match funds like the Explorit Board of Trustees $2,500 match challenge.

Also, BDOG donation made today using your Golden 1 Credit Union credit or debit card will be proportionately matched by the credit union.

Every dollar counts! Please donate to Explorit today at the following link: https://www.bigdayofgiving.org/give/Explorit

Thank you in advance for your generosity and your ongoing support.

And a big thank you to all the wonderful 'early-bird' BDOG donors.

Also, a big shout-out to the STEAM team at Woods Rodgers, a Sacramento-based Civil Engineering firm, for their 2026 BDOG donation to Explorit.

The Explorit Board of Trustees

📧 [email protected] 🌐 explorit.org

To visit Explorit's Big Day of Giving profile page, please visit:
https://www.bigdayofgiving.org/organization/Explorit

To donate anytime directly to Explorit, please visit: https://www.explorit.org/donate or mail your donation to Explorit Science Center, 3141 5th Street, Davis, CA 95618.

Volunteers are needed for outdoor spring cleaning at Explorit on Sunday, May 17 and Sunday, May 31, from noon - 2:30pm each day.

05/05/2026

SUPPORT EXPLORIT'S REOPENING! DONATE TODAY!

Dear Friends of Explorit,

Only 3 days left - until Thursday, May 7, 11:59 PM - to participate in the annual philanthropic fundraising event that is the Big Day of Giving.

We are excited to announce that the Explorit Board of Trustees has set up a $2,500 matching fund for 2026 BDOG, thereby enabling your monetary gift to have double the impact!

Additionally, if you donate using your Golden 1 Credit Union credit or debit card, your gift will be proportionately matched by Golden 1.

We need your help to meet (or exceed!) Explorit's BDOG goal of $10,000! The funds will greatly expedite the reopening of Explorit!

Please:

Give a gift! Make your online donation (starting as small as $10) at the following link: https://www.bigdayofgiving.org/give/Explorit or mail your donation to Explorit at 3141 5th Street, Davis, CA 95618.

Donate in a special person’s honor. Recognize a relative, friend, or mentor who has inspired you by giving a gift in their name.

Spread the word. Tell your family and friends about supporting Explorit during the fundraising event.

Please donate now through midnight Thursday, May 7, via this link: https://www.bigdayofgiving.org/give/Explorit

Thank you very much for your generous donation. You are truly helping to make a difference in our community!

The Explorit Board of Trustees

📧 [email protected] 🌐 explorit.org

Visit Explorit's BDOG page: https://www.bigdayofgiving.org/organization/Explorit

04/28/2026

Support Explorit Now Through May 7 During BDOG Event Fundraising Event!

Dear Friends of Explorit,

Thank you to all our wonderful donors and supporters who are helping with the progress toward reimagining Explorit as a community hub for science, nature, and technology, and to all our wonderful volunteers who are helping with the spring cleaning and gardening toward getting Explorit ready for reopening.

To enable Explorit to continue our 40+ years' mission of providing cutting-edge, hands-on STEAM learning, your support now is crucial to the successful reimagining and reopening of Explorit!

Please donate to Explorit during the Big Day of Giving (BDOG*) event now through Thursday, May 7 at the following link: https://www.bigdayofgiving.org/give/Explorit

Together, we can ensure that Explorit continues to ignite and foster curiosity about science and nature through inquiry and discovery.

Thank you in advance for your BDOG donation!

The Explorit Board of Trustees
📧 [email protected] 🌐 explorit.org

*BDOG is the Sacramento Region Community Foundation's annual regional fundraising event for local nonprofit organizations. More information at the following link: https://www.bigdayofgiving.org/

04/24/2026

Dear Friends of Explorit,

We are very excited to announce that we are in the process of hiring an Executive Director! The new ED will be instrumental in the reimagining and reopening of Explorit as a community hub for education around science, nature, and technology, where learning and discovery connects us all.

We need our wonderful community's support to accelerate the reimagining and reopening of Explorit. Please donate during the Big Day of Giving regional fundraising event from now until Thursday, May 7 at the following link: https://www.bigdayofgiving.org/give/Explorit

Another way to help Explorit get ready for the reopening is by volunteering on Saturday, April 25, from noon - 3pm to help spring clean the external spaces around Explorit. All ages are welcome to come and help. Please bring gloves and water and gardening tools. Refreshments will be available for the volunteers.

Please continue supporting Explorit by donating to support science education in our community at https://www.explorit.org/donate, by volunteering or joining our Board to help shape Explorit’s future at [email protected], and by sharing the news about Explorit's mission and reimagining with family and friends.

Together, we can make sure that Explorit continues to ignite and foster curiosity about science and nature through inquiry and discovery.

With gratitude,
The Explorit Board of Trustees

📧 [email protected] 🌐 explorit.org

EXPLORIT SCIENCE CENTER | 3141 5th Street, Davis, CA 95618 | [email protected]

REMINDER: Help Explorit Get Ready To Reopen!

Explorit SPRING CLEANING: Saturday, April 25 from 12 - 3pm

04/20/2026

Help Explorit Get Ready To Reopen!

Explorit SPRING CLEANING

April 25 (Saturday), 12 - 3pm

We are organizing the second spring cleaning event to get our garden and grounds ready for reopening, and are actively seeking our wonderful community's help in achieving the goal to revitalize the external space around Explorit (at 3141 5th Street in Davis).

You can help get Explorit ready for reopening by:
👉 Volunteering on Saturday, April 25, any time between from noon - 3pm.
👉 Spreading the word about the spring cleaning events with friends who believe in Explorit's mission and reopening.
👉 Donating to Explorit at the following link: https://www.explorit.org/donate.

All ages are welcome to come and help spring clean Explorit. Please bring gloves and water and gardening tools. Refreshments will be available for the volunteers.

For more information, please visit: www.explorit.org

Explorit Science Center

09/28/2026

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