What was on

A museum visitor looking at a news report on a TV screen on the wall of an exhibition

Injecting Hope: The race for a COVID-19 vaccine

Past exhibition

19 July 2024 – 17 November 2024

Uncover inspiring stories of scientists and innovators collaborating around the globe in our new free exhibition.

Three people smiling broadly and wearing white coats, with one holding a framed picture of the poo emoji.

Operation Ouch! Food, Poo and You

Past exhibition

21 July 2023 – 9 June 2024

Dive headfirst into the digestive system for an unforgettable journey of super-sized science with Operation Ouch! Food, Poo and You.

Two girls and a man and a woman playing with an illuminated interactive display in a museum

Turn It Up: The power of music

Past exhibition

21 October 2022 – 29 May 2023

Prepare to get hands-on, with your ears and hearts open, with our new major exhibition exploring the science of music's mysterious hold over us and how it drives us to create, perform, feel and share.

Black and white image of people sat round an old radio inside a pub.

Celebrating 100 years of the BBC in Manchester

Past display

12 April 2022 – 3 May 2023

Celebrate 100 years of the BBC in Manchester with a new display that showcases Manchester as a centre of innovation in broadcasting, from 1922 to the present, and looking to the future.

Archipel fluvial de Mariuá, Rio Negro, État d’Amazonas, Brésil, 2019 © Sebastião Salgado/nbpictures

Amazônia

Past exhibition

13 May – 14 August 2022

Sebastião Salgado, winner of the 2021 Praemium Imperiale award for painting, presents Amazônia, a breath-taking photography exhibition that celebrates the indigenous peoples and varied landscapes of the Brazilian rainforest.

Mother and son looking at a display in an exhibition

Cancer Revolution: Science, innovation and hope

Past exhibition

22 October 2021 – 27 March 2022

Explore the revolution in science that is transforming cancer care with a major new free exhibition, Cancer Revolution: Science, innovation and hope.

Use Hearing Protection: The early years of Factory Records

Past exhibition

19 June 2021 – 3 January 2022

Celebrate Manchester's place at the heart of Britain's music and creative industries with our new exhibition dedicated to one of the city's most influential record labels.

A woman and a girl looking at a glass display in a museum gallery

Top Secret: From ciphers to cyber security

Past exhibition

19 May – 31 August 2021

Discover the fascinating world of codebreaking, ciphers and secret communications with our free must-see exhibition Top Secret: From ciphers to cyber security.

The Sun

Past exhibition

20 July 2019 – 4 November 2020

From an ancient Scandinavian sun horse to Jimmy Carter's solar panels from the White House, The Sun tells the story of our ever-changing relationship with our closest star.

Stephenson's Rocket

Past exhibition

25 September 2018 – 8 September 2019

In 2018, Stephenson's Rocket returned to Manchester for the first time in over 180 years.

A black and white picture of a woman with electrodes on her head

Electricity: The spark of life

Past exhibition

18 October 2018 – 28 April 2019

Electricity: The spark of life examines how scientists experimented with electricity to understand and control it, and how mass generation and distribution changed our lives.

Image shows the Soyuz TMA-19M descent module on a black background

Tim Peake’s Spacecraft

Past exhibition

10 March – 13 May 2018

On 18 June 2016, Tim Peake returned to Earth in the Soyuz TMA-19M descent module. Now, you can join us for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get a close look at this historic spacecraft.