ExploreExhibitsGravity’s Stairway

Gravity's Stairway

Staircase

Gravity’s stairway provides direct access between the Historic Level and the Center of Gravity. On it, potential energy is transformed into kinetic energy and vice versa.

Closeup of the zodiac on the celestial globe.

Celestial Globe

The Celestial Globe depicts the constellations as they appear on the Farnese Atlas, an ancient Roman sculpture from the second century A.D. Its figures are the oldest known images of the familial constellations from ancient Greeks. Most of them are still used today.

South Gallery

The South Gallery is a nexus connecting the entry to the Samuel Oschin Planetarium, the W.M. Keck Central Rotunda, and Gravity's Stair, which leads down to the lower levels of the building.