ASCII Magic
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Science animations for learning

Every science animation here shows a process unfolding step by step, labeled and drawn in text, so students see how it happens instead of one frozen diagram. Cells divide in Mitosis Stages, water moves through the Water Cycle Diagram, a leaf makes glucose in Photosynthesis Leaf, and a four-chamber heart pumps blood with every vessel named.

22 pieces

View use cases
Bohr Atom PhotonScience & Learning
Bonds Break And FormScience & Learning
DNA Replication ForkScience & Learning
Doppler Effect SirenScience & Learning
Food Chain Energy PyramidScience & Learning
Heart Blood FlowScience & Learning
Lunar Eclipse GeometryScience & Learning
Breathing LungsScience & Learning
Mitosis StagesScience & Learning
Moon And TidesScience & Learning
Nitrogen CycleScience & Learning
Photosynthesis LeafScience & Learning
Prism DispersionScience & Learning
Ribosome TranslationScience & Learning
Rock Cycle LoopScience & Learning
Seasons From Axial TiltScience & Learning
Seed GerminationScience & Learning
Simple Circuit CurrentScience & Learning
States Of Matter ParticlesScience & Learning
Subduction Zone VolcanoScience & Learning
Transverse And LongitudinalScience & Learning
Water Cycle DiagramScience & Learning

Where to start

The set covers biology, chemistry, physics and earth science, from DNA Replication Fork and Bohr Atom Photon to Moon And Tides, Seasons From Axial Tilt and Doppler Effect Siren. Teachers can embed them in a class page, export a video for slides, or pause the player on the exact step they want to discuss.

Mitosis StagesWalks a cell through every stage of division with each stage named and explained as the chromosomes move.Water Cycle DiagramEvaporation, condensation, rain and runoff above and below ground, every stage labeled for younger students.DNA Replication ForkHelicase unzips the helix while the leading and lagging strands are copied, with base letters on screen.Bohr Atom PhotonAn electron jumps between shells and gives out light, tracked on an energy level diagram.Heart Blood FlowA beating four-chamber heart that sends blood to the lungs and body, with every chamber and vessel labeled.Seasons From Axial TiltShows in orbit and close up why a tilted Earth gives each hemisphere summer and winter.

Using science animations in class and in slides

On each piece page the player has pause, speed and size controls, so you can slow a process down, stop on a stage and talk it through. Pause Mitosis Stages at metaphase, or Water Cycle Diagram at condensation, and ask students to predict what happens next before you press play.

For slides, export a video as MP4 or WebM at 1920x1080, with a 4K option for large screens, and insert it like any clip. For a worksheet or a poster, pause on one stage and export a PNG. For a class website or a learning platform that accepts HTML, embed the live piece with one tag: it only plays while on screen and shows a still frame for students who prefer reduced motion. The guide at ASCII art for slides and presentations covers more options.

Which science animation for which grade

Curricula differ between countries and school systems, so treat this as a starting point and check the vocabulary against your own syllabus.

  • Elementary (about ages 7 to 11): Water Cycle Diagram, Seed Germination, States Of Matter Particles, Breathing Lungs.
  • Middle school (about ages 11 to 14): Photosynthesis Leaf, Heart Blood Flow, Rock Cycle Loop, Food Chain Energy Pyramid, Prism Dispersion, Simple Circuit Current, Seasons From Axial Tilt, Moon And Tides, Lunar Eclipse Geometry, Transverse And Longitudinal.
  • High school (about ages 14 to 18): Mitosis Stages, DNA Replication Fork, Ribosome Translation, Nitrogen Cycle, Bohr Atom Photon, Bonds Break And Form, Doppler Effect Siren, Subduction Zone Volcano.

Accuracy notes for teachers

The pieces use standard textbook labels and values, and several flag their own simplifications on screen. A few points worth raising in class:

  • Lunar Eclipse Geometry and Moon And Tides are marked not to scale, and the tidal bulges are exaggerated so they can be seen.
  • Simple Circuit Current shows both electron drift from negative to positive and conventional current from positive to negative, with 6 volts across 12 ohms giving half an amp.
  • Bohr Atom Photon uses the shell model, a simplified picture of the atom, but its red 656 nm photon is the real wavelength for that hydrogen transition.
  • Seasons From Axial Tilt keeps Earth's axis at 23.4 degrees and pointing the same way all year.
  • Food Chain Energy Pyramid uses the common rule that about a tenth of the energy passes up each level, which is an average rather than a fixed law.
  • Mitosis Stages names interphase for context, although interphase is not itself a stage of mitosis.

ASCII DNA and ASCII atom animations

For genetics, DNA Replication Fork shows helicase unzipping the double helix, the leading strand copied in one smooth run and the lagging strand built in short fragments, with base letters visible. Ribosome Translation follows on: the mRNA is read three bases at a time, tRNAs bring amino acids and a protein grows until a stop codon. For a simple rotating ASCII DNA helix, see Double Helix at Double Helix.

For atoms and particles, Bohr Atom Photon shows an electron jumping between shells and giving out light, Bonds Break And Form regroups hydrogen and oxygen into water on an energy profile, and States Of Matter Particles compares a solid, a liquid and a gas side by side.

Ways to use ASCII science & learning

Step-by-step guides with a live builder and code to copy.

All 18 use cases →
Slides

ASCII art for slides and presentations

Drop animated ASCII art into Keynote, PowerPoint or Google Slides as a GIF or video, for title slides and section breaks.

Docs

ASCII art for docs sites and landing pages

Add animated ASCII art to docs and landing pages built with Next.js, Astro, Docusaurus or plain HTML. Diagrams, terminals and heroes that load instantly.

Website

An animated ASCII hero for GitHub Pages

Add a live, animated ASCII art hero to a GitHub Pages or personal website with one script tag. No framework, no build step, under 10 KB per piece.

/FAQS

ASCII science & learning: frequently asked questions

Answers about using ASCII science & learning on websites, in READMEs, in terminals and in exports.

Q. What is a science animation?
A science animation is a moving diagram that shows a process over time, such as a cell dividing or water cycling through air, land and sea. Seeing each stage happen in order helps students connect cause and effect in a way a single still diagram cannot.
Q. Where can I find science animations for teaching?
This collection has labeled science animations for biology, chemistry, physics and earth science, including mitosis, photosynthesis, the water cycle, DNA replication, tides, seasons and electric circuits. Each one can be embedded on a class page, exported as a video for slides or paused on a single step.
Q. How do I put a science animation into my slides?
Open the piece and export a video as MP4 or WebM at 1920x1080, or 4K if you are projecting on a large screen, then insert it into your slides like any clip. If you only need one stage, pause on it and export a PNG instead.
Q. Can I slow down an animation to explain each step?
Yes, the player on each piece page has speed and pause controls, so you can slow a process down or stop on one stage. On a web page, the speed attribute of the embed tag does the same job, for example speed="0.5" for half speed.
Q. Is there an animated ASCII DNA diagram?
Yes, DNA Replication Fork shows helicase unzipping the double helix while both strands are copied, with base letters on screen. Ribosome Translation then shows how mRNA is read to build a protein. For a simple spinning helix, use Double Helix at Double Helix.
Q. Is there an ASCII atom animation that shows electron shells?
Yes, Bohr Atom Photon shows a hydrogen electron absorbing an ultraviolet photon, jumping from shell 1 to shell 3 and dropping back in two steps, with an energy level diagram tracking each jump. Remind students that the shell model is a simplified picture of the atom.
Q. Are these science animations accurate?
They use standard textbook labels and values, such as Earth's 23.4 degree tilt and hydrogen's 656 nm red line. Where a diagram simplifies, as in Moon And Tides and Lunar Eclipse Geometry, it says not to scale on screen. As with any resource, check the vocabulary against your syllabus.
Q. Which science animations suit elementary school students?
Water Cycle Diagram, Seed Germination and States Of Matter Particles suit younger students, because each shows one clear process with simple labels. Pause between stages, ask students to predict what comes next, then press play to check.
Q. Can teachers use these animations in lessons and school materials?
Yes, every piece is MIT licensed for personal and commercial use, which covers lessons, worksheets, school websites, course videos and paid courses. You can embed a piece, export it or adapt its code for your class. Credit is appreciated but not required.
Q. Do the science animations have sound or narration?
No, they are silent animations with on-screen labels. That makes them easy to talk over in class, and you can record your own narration over an exported video clip when you make a lesson video.
Q. Which animations explain earth and space science?
Moon And Tides, Seasons From Axial Tilt, Lunar Eclipse Geometry, Rock Cycle Loop, Subduction Zone Volcano and Water Cycle Diagram cover earth and space topics. For more astronomy, the Cosmos category at Cosmos has planets, orbits and rockets.
Q. Can students use these animations in a project or presentation?
Yes, students can embed a piece in a web project with one tag, export a GIF or video for a presentation, or use a PNG on a poster. Each piece page also shows its source code, which makes a good starting point for a coding or science fair project.

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