The Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum has taken the lead among planetariums world-wide in establishing an astronomy and astrophysics research group in a museum setting. Adler Planetarium astronomers possess rich and diverse expertise in many areas of astronomy as well as other closely related science fields such as particle physics and geophysics.

Learn more about Astronomy Research.

The Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum's Education Department engages in research, evaluation and assessment projects intended to monitor and improve the effectiveness of exhibits and programs. We also seek to contribute to the growing body of literature on learning in museums.

Learn more about Education Research.

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.

Learn more about History of Astronomy research.

When Max Adler founded the Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum in 1930, he recognized the complementary roles of a planetarium and astronomical artifacts. Adler purchased a collection of about 500 astronomical, navigational, and mathematical instruments from Anton Mensing in the Netherlands. Housed in the Adler's Webster Institute for the History of Astronomy, the Scientific Instrument Collection today contains about 2000 instruments and models from the 12th through the 20th centuries.

Learn more about our Collections.