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The lectures below are included as part of Far Out Friday admission. Advance registration is not available, and lecture-only admission is not available. Seating is first come, first served.

As part of Far Out Friday, Dr. Nick Kanas, Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, will trace the history of man's attempts to map the night sky from the time of the classical Greeks through the Golden Age of pictorial celestial maps to modern day star atlases. His talk will be illustrated with stunning images from antiquarian celestial maps and atlases from his recent book: Star Maps: History, Artistry, and Cartography.

Visit the Far Out Friday page on Lecture Series for more information.

As part of Far Out Friday, Northwestern University's Abigail Foerstner will speak about the career of space pioneer Dr. James Van Allen. We celebrate the 50th anniversaries of America's first satellites and NASA this year with Van Allen at the center of the drama.

As part of Far Out Friday, Smithsonian historian Michael J. Neufeld will present a talk on his new book Von Braun: Dreamer of Space, Engineer of War, a candid look at Wernher von Braun, father of the U.S. rocketry program.

Visit the Far Out Friday page on Lecture Series for more information.

In antiquity, comets came to have a reputation for being omens of disaster, portending the death of rulers, the outbreak of war, or the onset of plague, drought, or earthquakes. The intriguing question is: When and how did this notion become established in classical Greek and Roman culture? Surprisingly, the belief that comets are baleful signs cannot be documented until comparatively late.

An examination of textual and material evidence from antiquity, including an array of coins and artwork, demonstrates that in the Bronze Age and in the 5th and 4th centuries BC, comets were by no means always regarded as bad omens. On the contrary, some of this evidence indicates that even as late as the early decades of the first century BC, comets were occasionally treated as auspicious objects. The earliest attested expression of what was to become the stock view of comets as omens of calamity is linked to the return of Comet Halley in 87 BC. It is quite easy to understand how that comet in particular might have helped give rise to the belief that comets portended war and death because the comet of 87 was accompanied by both a devastating plague and the Marian Civil War at Rome. Two later comets that were observed in the same generation doubtless reinforced the notion that comets were messengers of doom: a comet in 49 BC that coincided with the outbreak of the civil war between Pompey and Caesar, and the famous daylight-visible comet of 44 BC that appeared four months after the assassination of Caesar. The weight of the evidence points to the conclusion that in the Ciceronian Age, there was a notable shift in the way the meaning of comets was interpreted. These celestial objects, which had always inspired wonder and awe, were henceforth chiefly regarded as messengers of doom and disaster.

Visit the Special Events page for more information on AIA lectures.

There are no debates scheduled at this time. Thank you for your interest!

Access podcasts created by the Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum by clicking on the URL below and following the directions on the site. Adler Podcasts are free to all!

Adler Podcast Website

Cancellations received up to 5 business days before class will receive credit toward another course or a refund less a $5 processing fee. Programs canceled by the Museum are refunded or credited in full.

Parking for $0.25 per half-hour (quarters only) is usually available at meters along Solidarity Drive, and for $7—$25 (depending on Northerly Island and Soldier Field events) in the parking lot south of the Adler, owned by the Chicago Park District and operated by Standard Parking. Parking meters are active for 24 hours.

Please enter the Adler through the South Sky Pavillion entrance. Inside elevators provide universal access to all classrooms, exhibits, theaters, and food areas. Restrooms and drinking fountains are accessible to everyone.

Books recommended by your instructors are usually available in the museum shops, as well as a great selection of other books, telescopes, videos, gifts, and toys.