Museums

On August 21, 2017, a total solar eclipse will be visible in parts of the United States for the first time since 1979. In Chicago, at 11:54 am CST, the Moon will start to block our view of the Sun, covering up to 87 percent of it by 1:19 p.m. The last time Chicago was this close to the path of totality (when the Moon blocks the Sun completely) was 92 years ago in 1925. In celebration, the Adler Planetarium is throwing a giant block party, inviting everyone to come together to experience this rare celestial event as a community, and making it possible by offering free general admission to all.


Preview of the Adler Planetarium Zooniverse initiative’s 100th project, a celebration of 10 years of citizen science at the Adler. Read the preview.

Adler Collaborative Science Initiative Zooniverse Awarded Google Global Impact Award Zooniverse, a nonprofit collaboration led by the Adler Planetarium and the University of Oxford, is a world leading ‘citizen science’ platform that has already given more than 900,000 online volunteers the opportunity to contribute to science by taking part in activities including the discovery of planets, classification of plankton and researching old ship’s logs for observations of interest to climate scientists. The unique initiative has been awarded a $1.8 million Google Global Impact Award that will enable Zooniverse to make setting up a citizen science project as easy as starting a blog. It could even lead to thousands of innovative new projects around the world, accelerating the pace of scientific research. The award, which supports the further development of the Zooniverse, will net the Adler $400,000 in support of the Zooniverse platform.

Zooniverse, an initiative co-led by the Adler Planetarium and the University of Oxford that utilizes volunteer “citizen scientists” from across the globe, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. Galaxy Zoo, its first project launched in 2007, asked volunteers to classify galaxies based on their shape. Classifications from the public proved better than both experts and computers. Today, Zooniverse has 1.5 million registered users around the world who work alongside professional researchers to achieve research goals that would not be possible or practical otherwise. Garnering more than 145 million classifications to date, Zooniverse has become the world’s largest and most popular platform for people-powered research.


Adler Collaborative Science Initiative Zooniverse Awarded Google Global Impact Award Zooniverse, a nonprofit collaboration led by the Adler Planetarium and

On April 24, 2018, Dr. Rosaly Lopes, senior research scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and first female Editor-in-Chief of Icarus, a scientific journal dedicated to the field of planetary science, will be honored at the annual Women in Space Science Award Celebration hosted by the Adler Planetarium Women’s Board. In addition, Nathalea Espinosa, an exceptional young woman who has made a special commitment to her STEM studies, and is an active participant in the Adler’s teen programs, will be presented the Paul H. Knappenberger Jr., Ph.D. STEM Award.


The Adler Planetarium’s newest sky show, Planet Nine, was recently selected by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and Popular Science as a Vizzie award finalist. The Vizzies, formerly known as the the International Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge, honor the most illustrative and impactful visualizations from the worlds of science and engineering. Celebrating their 15th anniversary, the Vizzies blur the line between science and art, and recognize visualizations of scientific phenomena in the form of photography, illustration, posters and graphics, video and interactive. NSF and Popular Science have determined the top 10 entries in each category, and Planet Nine has been named a finalist in the video category and is up for a People’s Choice award.


Who knows what lurks in the dark night of the Adler Planetarium? You might dare to find out on Thursday, October 30, 2014, when The Curse of the Blood Moon invades. For one-night-only, terror will take over the Adler’s Grainger Sky Theater in this Halloween fright show. A unique experience that combines live theater, 360° visualizations and hair-raising drama, The Curse of the Blood Moon will provide chills the night preceding All Hallows Eve.

Chicago’s Adler Planetarium is embarking upon an exciting new early childhood workshop series designed to give 3-4 year-olds and their caregivers the opportunity to learn and explore the practices of science together in a museum setting.