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Armillary Sphere in the Top Gallery, History of Science Museum, University of Oxford

Welcome

We're open Tuesday-Sunday, 12-5pm

Free entry. Donations welcome

Which museum treasure would you like to unwrap?

We couldn't narrow it down to just one, so we're sharing 25 of our favourite festive-themed objects and stories in our first seasonal Curiosity Calendar.

Open your daily door

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Award-winning Multaka-Oxford team supported by funding from Alwaleed Philanthropies

Now funded by a generous donation from Alwaleed Philanthropies, the award-winning Multaka-Oxford team brings the rich, diverse knowledge of people settling in Oxford – many through forced migration – to the History of Science Museum and Pitt Rivers Museums.

Meet the Multaka-Oxford team

Discovering Marconi 34711 Photographic Portrait of Guglielmo Marconi, 20th Century

Can you reimagine the birth of broadcasting?

We want to work with a creative partner to take a fresh look at the Marconi collection and bring these groundbreaking inventions in wireless technology to life.

This is an open call to photographers and digital artists: can you to bring an imaginative visual approach to capturing images of the collection, telling their human and scientific story in a digital or online space?

Deadline: 10 December 2021

Download the brief

45747 Astrolabe by Muhammad Muqim al Yazdi, Persian, 1647/8, made for Shah Abbas II

Online Gallery: Mirror of the Stars

Pick up an astrolabe and you hold the universe in your hand.

Join our curators Dr Federica Gigante and Mathilde Daussy-Renaudin to explore how astrolabes mirrored the traditional view of the Earth at the centre of our moving universe.

Tour the online Gallery

Photo Oxford 2021 Vaccine Trials - In Science and Art (Zoom portraits by Fran Monks)

Blog: Vaccine Trials — in Science and Art

Portrait artist and photographer Fran Monks sat down over Zoom with Izzy Treyvaud — one of our Gallery supervisors — to explore photography as a gateway to celebrating the extraordinary stories of 'ordinary' people.

Read the interview

Luke Jerram with his COVID-19 vaccine glass sculpture

Exhibition: The Art of Science

You're looking at a single nanoparticle of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, one million times its actual size, sculpted in glass.

This stunning artwork celebrates the remarkable story of the Oxford University researchers who developed the vaccine.

Be part of history in the making

Collecting Covid

Discover how Oxford University’s History of Science Museum and the Bodleian Libraries are joining forces to collect the stories of the Covid-19 pandemic — and the extraordinary responses to this global challenge across Oxford University.

Explore Collecting Covid

Alice in Typhoidland Virtual Tour

Glide with us on a murky ride into Oxford's underside ... take a brand-new virtual tour of the Alice in Typhoidland exhibition at the Weston Library and History of Science Museum in Oxford.

Tour Alice in Typhoidland

Thomas Willis, Neurologist. Picture line engraving by R White after D Loggan Wellcome v0006298

Celebrating the founder of modern neurology

In 2021 we're celebrating the birth of Thomas Willis (1621-1675), one of the greatest neuroanatomists of all time.

Known for first coining the term "neurology", he became one of the leading physicians of his day; his thinking was centuries ahead of its time.

Discover the life & works of Thomas Willis

museum of the history of science by john cairns 19 11 18 15

Meet Stephen, your Pocket Curator

You can carry around our Curator, Stephen, on your phone or tablet.

Download the app, put your headphones on and discover the human stories behind seven objects.

Learn more and download the app

Take the 2-Minute Tour

Fancy a 2-Minute Museum visit?

Take the Virtual Grand Tour: see each of our Galleries, have a mosey around the staircase and leap all 3 floors in a single click!

Take the 2-Minute Tour

Visitor's Choice

This beautiful Astrolabe was chosen by our friend Megan (@WritersGreenHse) who often drops in for inspiration when writing in town.

Learn about Megan's Astrolabe

Armillary Sphere (70229) in the Top Gallery, History of Science Museum, University of Oxford (Photo by Ian Wallman)

Discovery starts here

Collections Online puts our objects and archives database at your fingertips on one, easy-to-use search dashboard.

Start your search

Portrait of young boy with Sir John Chardin (stairwell view) Inv no: 72661

Reframing the "Chardin" portrait

Camille Leadbetter continues her investigation of the Chardin portrait, and shares her quest to bring the story of the young boy — and thousands like him — into the foreground.

Discover the story

“Sir Henry Acland & Mr. M. W. Haffkine” taken by Sarah Angelina Acland (digital positive from half-plate negative, 1899) Bodleian Library, Minn Collection Negative 202/9

Epidemic encounters

Discover the story of Waldemar Haffkine, the "vaccine pioneer the world forgot" and his 35-year friendship with groundbreaking photographer Sarah Acland.

Relax with a 10-minute read

Rings of Heaven talk: First image astronomers are conducting observations using a 5 3 metre armillary sphere in the late 16th century Istanbul observatory

Watch again: Knowledge in Motion on YouTube

If you missed any of our Knowledge in Motion series of online talks, you can catch up any time on YouTube.

Watch the talks

Christmas Light Festival 2020 1800 x 840 px

Watch again: Family Fun online

You can join the Multaka team any time to enjoy Art, Music, and Craft: The Mosul Handbag — a jam-packed hour of fun family craft and activities—and learn about what may be the oldest handbag in the world!

Get crafting with Multaka

Award-winng Multaka-Oxford

We're so proud of our friends and colleagues in the Multaka-Oxford team: 2020 winners of the Vice-Chancellor's Diversity Award for Diversifying Participation at the University of Oxford.

Meet the Multaka-Oxford team

Online Galleries: Astrolabes of Africa

North Africa has a long tradition of making beautiful, ingenious astrolabes.

10 Astrolabes — 3 Pioneers — 1 Exhibition.

Visit our online gallery

Visitors browsing in the Museum Shop (looking at Einstein ducks)

Have a browse

Fancy a souvenir of your visit?

From astrolabes and activity packs to eco-friendly mugs and periodic table goodies — don't miss our Museum Shop.

Take a look

Book: Director's Choice

£9.95

Take a look

Periodic Table Collection

From books and mugs to tea towels and tags: everything you need to explore the Periodic Table.

Take a look

Sundial Magnet

£3

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I want to support my Museum

We can't do it without you!

Thanks to your generosity, we can keep highlighting ingenious stories that spark curiosity for as many people as possible.

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Volunteering

We are very grateful to all our volunteers who help make our Museum and its Collections more welcoming, interesting, and open to all. Would you like to join them?

Join our community