Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum

Address:1300 S Lake Shore Dr.
Chicago, Illinois
Tel: (312) 922-7827

Are you ready for the coolest most interactive planetarium and astronomy museum out there? Look no further - the Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum in Chicago has it all. A planetarium, observatory, stellar hands-on exhibits, 3D moving movies and much more, await visitors at this exciting and impressive museum.

Start your visit at the museum in the Atwood Sphere, Chicago's oldest planetarium and let your journey begin. In the "Bringing the Heavens to Earth" exhibit you will explore how many ancient cultures and traditions have been affected by the stars and celestial beings above. The exhibit "From the Night Sky to the Big Bang" highlights 1000 years of astronomical discovery and history. The 1864 Dearborn Telescope is displayed in this gallery. And if you step into the "Milky Way Galaxy" exhibition, you will experience a 3-D tour of the Milky Way in the Dynamic Gallery Theater.

Visitors to the Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum will learn about the solar system and have a chance to shoot projectiles onto Mars and examine the kind of craters they would leave behind. You can even design your own solar system and see how it would fare over time. The "Shoot for the Moon" exhibition highlights the restored Gemini 12 spacecraft and other personal space artifacts from the Lovell collection. You will discover the thrills and spills involved in space exploration. If that's not enough, in the "Space Visualization Laboratory" you can tinker with all the newest gadgets in space exploration.

Learn about why we went to the moon, and experience what it's like to find a safe landing spot, how it might feel to jump on the moon, and what things would look like while you're there. With no atmosphere everything is seen clearly and depth perception is almost impossible!

In Adler's Infinity shop visitors will find toys, games, jewelry, books about astronomy, science and space, as well as telescopes and other really cool items.

Getting to the museum is easy: Take bus #146 southbound to Museum Campus, or the #12 Roosevelt. If you are arriving by car from the north you'll be routed to 18th St. and then to Museum Campus Drive. From the Lake Shore Dr. from the north, enter the campus by way of the 18th St. ramp or turn east on McFetridge Dr.

So strap yourself in, you're in for the ride of a lifetime at the Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum.

History of astronomy research and publications focus on the collections held by the Adler's Webster Institute for the History of Astronomy. Adler curators and staff collaborate with scholars from around the world to study scientific instruments and the cultural significance of astronomy. This research informs exhibits, public programs, and Webster Institute publications, including our multi-volume collections catalogue, Historic Scientific Instruments of the Adler Planetarium.