Ninth-Twelfth Grade

Shows

Deep Space Adventure: The Searcher – New for 2012
Grainger Sky Theater
Grades 6-12
25 minutes
IL State Standards Addressed: 12F

In the newly transformed Grainger Sky Theater, The Searcher takes audiences on a trip through time and space to witness some of the most fantastic events ever to take place in our universe. Starting right after the Big Bang, visitors see what happens when two galaxies collide, experience a star being torn apart by a black hole, and witness a supernova explosion and its effects on a nearby planet. The journey takes visitors from deep space back to Earth, concluding with a flight by the Voyager 1 spacecraft over the Moon, and finally through the city of Chicago to the Adler itself.

Night Sky Live!
Definiti Space Theater
Grades 5-12
25 minutes 
IL State Standards Addressed: 12F

Take your students on an in-depth journey through the cosmos during Night Sky Live! This show, designed for general audiences at the Adler Planetarium, uses modern exploration and observation techniques to give the audience a deeper look at the sometimes strange, often breathtakingly beautiful, diversity of objects that make up our Universe.

Undiscovered Worlds
Definiti Space Theater
Grades 3-12
25 minutes 
IL State Standards Addressed: 12F

The search is on for Undiscovered Worlds at the Adler Planetarium! Through the discovery of exoplanets—hundreds of planets found orbiting far-away stars—we have learned our solar system is not alone in the universe, causing us to redefine our understanding of planets and solar systems. With new instruments like the Kepler Telescope and rapidly improving technologies, the discovery of exoplanets puts us one step closer to finding an Earth-like world. Will this change how we view our place in the universe?

IBEX: Search for the Edge of the Solar System
Definiti Space Theater
Grades 9-12
28 minutes
IL State Standards Addressed: 11B, 12F, 13B

Join scientists who are investigating the boundary between our Solar System and the rest of our galaxy in IBEX: Search for the Edge of the Solar System. Designed for visitors with an appreciation for the challenges of space science and a desire to learn more about science research, IBEX: Search for the Edge of the Solar System follows the creation of NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX). Audiences will get an in-depth look at the mission and how IBEX is collecting high-speed atoms to create a map of our Solar System's boundary. Narrated by two inquisitive teenagers, audiences will hear from the scientists and engineers that developed the IBEX mission and created the spacecraft, and get the latest updates on the mission's discoveries.

Space Junk 3D
Universe Theater
Grades: 5-12
23 minutes

Space Junk 3D is a visually explosive journey of discovery that weighs the solutions aimed at cleaning up our planet’s orbits. In Space Junk 3D, visitors experience mind-boggling collisions – both natural and man-made – in stunning time lapse sequences captured with the magical imagery of 3D. Soar from the stunning depths of Arizona’s Meteor Crater to an unprecedented view of the increasingly polluted space at 22,000 miles above Earth.

3D Sun
Universe Theater
Grades: 5-12
23 minutes

Stand above the Arctic Circle and witness brilliant auroras. Take a ride on a solar blast from the Sun's surface to Earth's Magnetosphere. Witness the most powerful explosions in the solar system - equal to the force of a billion megaton nuclear bombs. In October 2006, NASA launched twin spacecraft from a single rocket in Florida to capture space-born, high-definition 3D images of the Sun. In 3D Sun, leading NASA scientists from the mission unveil these images and take us behind the scenes to discuss why the Sun is of crucial importance to all of us.

Technology Classroom Programs

Studying Cosmic Rays Technology Classroom Program
Grades 9-12
45 minutes 
Maximum capacity of 30 students
IL State Standards Addressed: 11A, 11B, 12C, 13A

Investigate a real scientific phenomenon and make critical choices about our future in space. Using computer technology, students analyze genuine data to make predictions about these high-energy, invisible particles from space. After a brief introduction to cosmic rays, students, as expert analysts, conduct hands-on explorations to determine how high we can safely build into space.

Guided Gallery Experiences

Understanding the Universe Guided Gallery Experience
Grades 7-12
45 minutes 
Maximum capacity of 30 students
IL State Standards Addressed: 12F, 13B

Understand how evolving technology and science go hand in hand! Enjoy a 45-minute guided gallery experience that introduces your students to contemporary scientists as well as those from the past. An Adler educator will give your students a personal tour of the Universe in Your Hands and the Telescopes galleries highlighting how our understanding of the universe has changed and grown over time. Students will then visit Adler’s Space Visualization Laboratory where a contemporary astronomer will introduce them to his or her research findings and the observational and computational tools that modern scientists use.

Exhibition Galleries

All of Adler Planetarium’s exhibition galleries offer engaging learning opportunities for students. We welcome you and your students into our exhibition galleries. We’ve highlighted some not-to-miss galleries that we think you and your students will find particularly engaging and fun!

Ninth-Twelfth Grade Exhibitions

Our Solar System
IL State Standards Addressed: 12C, 12D, 12E, 12F

Our Solar System gallery offers interactive exhibitions designed to help visitors explore the planets, moons, comets, and asteroids that orbit our Sun.

Shoot for the Moon
IL State Standards Addressed: 11B, 12B, 12F, 13B

Shoot for the Moon consists of two galleries: A Journey with Jim Lovell and Mission: Moon. A Journey with Jim Lovell features highlights of Captain James A. Lovell, Jr.'s life and career, including his initial setbacks and ultimate triumphs. The restored Gemini 12 spacecraft is the centerpiece in a dramatic presentation of the culminating mission of the Gemini Program.

The exhibition contains artifacts from Lovell's personal collection, including his rejection letter from the NASA Mercury program, his collection of childhood memorabilia and Gemini 12 flight manuals. Mission: Moon tells the story of the destiny-changing accomplishments of the Apollo Program and how it became a springboard to the future. Visitors will re-live the thrilling and dramatic moments of the Apollo program during which America realized its goal of having a man walk on the Moon.

Telescopes Through the Looking Glass
IL State Standards Addressed: 12C, 12F, 13B

Telescopes: Through the Looking Glass presents the technology used to gather information about the Universe. Featuring some of the world’s most important telescopes and one-of-a-kind hands-on interactives, the exhibition explores the extraordinary beauty and technology of these amazing instruments and the objects they enable us to discover.

Universe in Your Hands
IL State Standards Addressed: 13B, 16A

The Adler houses one of the world's greatest collections of astronomy-related tools, rare books, photographs, early maps, charts, and star atlases. Universe in your Hands displays unique objects from a time when people believed the Earth was the center of the Universe. Since ancient times, people have looked at the heavens with awe and wonder, but they have also used the sky as an inspiration and resource for the entire spectrum of their lives. This gallery helps visitors understand the cultural significance of astronomy in societies around the world and over thousands of years.