Last-minute gift ideas for the physics fan who has (a theory of) everything

‘Tis the season of generosity, but what do you give the person in your life who is fascinated by all things quantum, cosmological, and otherwise tricky to hide under a tree?

Don’t fret: we’ve got you covered.

Some of these items may require a bit of expedited shipping, but others are just a click away.

May your holidays be merry, geeky, and bright.

Plush black hole

The most talked-about scientific discovery of 2019 was the image of a real black hole unveiled by the Event Horizon Telescope collaboration (in which Perimeter is a full partner). Black holes are among the most violent, extreme, and mysterious phenomena in the universe. Cuddly? Not so much. Thankfully, there is the Celestial Buddies black hole plushy, which gobbles up other members of the Celestial Buddies gang.

FREE posters!

OK, so the Celestial Buddies black hole toy above is not entirely scientifically accurate. But the posters we made to commemorate the Event Horizon Telescope’s breakthrough are. The best part: they’re free! The other best part: you’ll have them within a couple of minutes. Download yours.

Schrodinger’s Cat Decision Maker

Some questions don’t have clear-cut answers. For some questions, the right and wrong answers seem to exist simultaneously, in a kind of right/wrong superposition. For those situations, this handy tool lets Erwin Schrodinger’s infamous alive/dead cat in a box provide an answer. Sometimes kitty is alive when the box is opened, sometimes kitty is not. Kitty’s fate will help you determine yours.

Levitating… whatevers

We still don’t have flying cars, but we’re getting there. For now, you can defy — or, at least, push back a little against — gravity, thanks to a range of magnetically floating gadgets: lamps, globes, plants, and lots more. If you’re willing to spend a bit more (about 150 bucks), you can also get a device that uses sound waves to levitate small objects, such as an ant having the strangest day of its life.

Higgs Boson Watch

What time is it? It’s time to get a watch that reminds you of arguably the greatest particle physics discovery of all time. Is it easy to tell time on this watch? Not particularly. Should you care? Nah. Want to learn more about the Higgs than you can glean from a timepiece? You can also download our free educational resource about it — and our resources about dozens of other cutting-edge topics. Did we mention those resources are free?

Even MORE free posters!

Great for the classroom, dorm room, or any room, really, our posters aim to inform and inspire. You can get our “Forces of Nature” series celebrating pioneering women in science, explanatory posters about the science of sports and Star Trek, and lots more free, downloadable science stuff.

Cosmic Clothing

For the fashionable astrophysics buff, you can get a hoodie printed with a gorgeous image of a galaxy.

For the fashionable astrophysics buff who loves cats and sandwiches, you can get a sweater printed with a cat flying through the cosmos on a sandwich. We live in amazing times.

Happy holidays, physics friends. Stay curious.