After Dark: Things That Go BOOM!

The Big Bang With Hakeem Oluseyi
7:30 p.m.  | Bechtel Gallery 3, Wattis Webcast Studio

If you love the flash and crash of Fourth-of-July fireworks, get a load of this: about 14 billion years ago, our dense, hot universe (such as it was) exploded, rapidly becoming much less dense and much less hot and providing the building blocks for everything we know, and many things we still don’t. Get a front-row seat for the Big Bang with astrophysicist Hakeem Oluseyi.

Full-Spectrum Science: Science of Fireworks With Ron Hipschman
8:00 p.m.  | Osher Gallery 1, Kanbar Forum

Come oooooh and ahhhh at the science behind these big booms! Where do fireworks come from? Who invented them? What causes their beautiful colors, and how do the bursting shells create such different patterns? Join us for some real illumination, and learn the difference between a jerb and a lance.

Fogo Na Roupa
8:30 p.m.  | Roaming

Feel the boom: it’s always a celebration with San Francisco Brazilian dance and percussion company Fogo Na Roupa, and you can join them for a pulsing, resonant party featuring innovative rhythms and cultural dance.

Ping-Pong Ball Explosion With Exploratorium Staff
9:00 p.m. | Gallery 4

Who needs outdoor fireworks when you can get an indoor explosion...of ping-pong balls? Come get an early dose of excitement and delight as we use liquid nitrogen to explode a 45-gallon trash can filled with 3,000 of your favorite bouncy table-sport balls. Cover your ears for the big boom, then enjoy the sprinkling sounds of excitement.