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 Logo of the Liberty Science Center | |
 Exterior of Liberty Science Center | |
  Location of Liberty Science Center in New Jersey | |
| Established | 1993 |
|---|---|
| Location | Liberty State Park,Jersey City,New Jersey,US |
| Coordinates | 40°42′30″N74°03′15″W / 40.708312°N 74.054246°W /40.708312; -74.054246 |
| Type | Science museum |
| Visitors | 750,000 per year[1] |
| President & CEO | Paul Hoffman |
| Chairperson | David Barry/John Weston |
| Public transit access | Hudson–Bergen Light Rail atLiberty State Park:
|
| Nearest parking | On-site (daily charge) |
| Website | lsc |
Liberty Science Center (LSC) is aninteractivescience museum and learning center located inLiberty State Park inJersey City,New Jersey, United States. At its opening, it was the largest such planetarium in the Western Hemisphere and the world's fourth largest.[2]
The center, which opened in 1993 as New Jersey's first major state science museum, has science exhibits, numerous educational resources, and the originalHoberman sphere, a silver, computer-driven engineering artwork designed byChuck Hoberman.
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Liberty Science Center completed a 22-month, $109 million expansion and renewal project on July 19, 2007.[3] The expansion added 100,000 square feet (9,300 m2) to the facility, bringing it to nearly 300,000 square feet (28,000 m2).[4]
In December 2017, the Science Center opened the Jennifer Chalsty Planetarium, a 400-seat facility with a dome 100 feet (30 m) in diameter and an 89-foot (27 m) diameter screen, named for the benefactor who contributed $5 million towards the cost of construction. Larger thanNew York City'sHayden Planetarium, at its opening, it was the largest such planetarium in the Western Hemisphere and the world's fourth largest.[2]
In November 2025, theNew Jersey Economic Development Authority awarded up to $39.8 million intax credits over five years through its Cultural Arts Facilities Expansion (CAFE) program. The project, known as Project Supernova, will include a major expansion to the museum and add several outdoor exhibits and amenities, including:[5][6][7]
Liberty Science Center's permanent exhibitions include:[8][9]
As of November 2025, Liberty Science Center's temporary exhibits include:[8]
The museum offers various educational sessions for school-age students fromPreK-12 duringfield 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 livesurgical 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 allowshomeschoolco-ops and are able to bring lecturers to schools.[10][11]
The Liberty Science Center also offers professional development sessions forteachers and schools to learn more aboutSTEM subjects.[11]
During the summer, Liberty Science Center offers the Partners in Science program, an 8-week summer high school STEMmentorship for risinghigh school juniors and seniors. There is also the Pathways to Partners in Science program, a two-week program intended for rising sophomores.[11]
Liberty Science Center's "LSC After Dark" is an18+ event hosted on some Thursdays from 6-10PM. Each event features a different theme with a matching food menu,dance floor, liveDJ, a fullbar, andplanetarium andlaser shows, as well as Space Talk sessions with guest astronomers in the planetarium.[12]
The museum offer Community Evenings, which consists of free visitations for parents and students from qualifying school districts, which largely consists ofdisadvantaged municipalities.[13]
The BASF's Kids' Lab is an interactive chemistry exhibit for children.[13]
During the summers, Liberty Science Center has a Science Camp, which consists of weekly multi-day events for children between grades 1-8.[13]
The museum offersScouts programming to help scouts earn badges, as well as special scout-only sessions periodically throughout the year.[14]
In thelobby, there is afirst aid andinformation desk, thebox office,lockers, and thegift shop. On the second floor, dining options include the Cosmic Cafe, acafeteria open to the general public, Galaxy Grab and Go, avending machine room, and a group dining room for organized groups.[9]
In July 2007, the Jennifer Chalsty Center for Science Learning and Teaching opened. It is a 20,000-square-foot (1,900 m2) facility extending over the entire formerInvention 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.[15]
Planetarium shows include:[16]
The LSC hosts an annual Gala and Genius Award as well as Genius Gallery, a permanent, interactive display.[17][non-primary source needed] The full list of awardees:2011:Jane Goodall; 2012:Temple Grandin,Ernő Rubik,Oliver Sacks; 2013: SirRichard Branson,Garry Kasparov,Cori Bargmann; 2014:Dean Kamen,Sylvia A. Earle,J. Craig Venter; 2015:Jeff Bezos,Vint Cerf,Jill Tarter; 2016:Frank Gehry,Jack Horner,Ellen Langer,Kip Thorne; 2017:Katherine Johnson,Ray Kurzweil,Marc Raibert (and SpotMini); 2018:Vitalik Buterin,George M. Church,Laurie Santos,Sara Seager;2019:Chris Messina,Sally Shaywitz and Bennett Shaywitz,Martine Rothblatt,Karlie Kloss;2020:Moshe Safdie,Jennifer A. Lewis,William Conan Davis.[17][non-primary source needed]
In 2019 LSC was in negotiation with Jersey City to receive for a nominal fee city-owned land (a former car pound) which would be developed as an educational and residential area called Sci Tech Scity.[18][19][20] Phase one of the project is scheduled to open in late 2023 and into early 2024.[21]
That may or may not explain the debut of the largest planetarium in the Western Hemisphere and the fourth largest in the world. It opens this week in Jersey City. The top scientist responsible for it, Paul Hoffman, the president and chief executive officer of the Liberty Science Center, boasted that it was so large that the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan, the starry destination for generations of middle-school field trippers, would fit inside with room to spare.
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