Special Events
Lectures,
Tours, and More
The Adler Planetarium proudly endorses Chicago's bid for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Learn more at Chicago2016.org.
Image Courtesy of NASA
Astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Jim Lovell are
pictured after splashing down in the Atlantic
Ocean, returning from the Gemini 12 mission.
We asked high school students to tell us about a teacher who helped them believe they can succeed in science as part of the 3rd annual Adler/ComEd Shoot for the Moon essay contest.
Azza Cohen is the winner of this year's essay contest. Azza is a sophmore at Highland Park High School. Azza and her teacher, Kunal Pujara won a trip to Space Camp.
Image Courtesy of NASA
July 1-31, 2009
Visit the Adler Planetarium to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11, the first manned mission to land on the Moon, during One Small Step: Apollo 11 40th Anniversary, July 1 - July 31, 2009!
The Adler will kick-off the month-long celebration on Wednesday, July 1 by giving away a FREE replica of the Apollo 11 mission patch to the first 50 visitors.
All month, visitors will have the chance to:
• Explore the NEW Moon Wall in the Shoot for the Moon exhibition
•Receive a FREE commemorative Apollo 11 poster with paid admission, while supplies last. Each week a different Apollo 11 image will be featured. Collect all five!
•See a special commemoration to Apollo 11 prior to all theater shows during July
•Enter to win one of 11 Adler memberships
•Take part in fun family-friendly activities in the museum
•Look for our Apollo and lunar artifacts in the Shoot for the Moon gallery, including a penlight that Astronaut Buzz Aldrin carried on the Apollo 11 mission
FREE Poster for Week 1
•Every Tuesday from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., weather permitting, view the Sun safely through the solar telescopes in the Doane Observatory
•Every Thursday afternoon from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. (times are approximate), take part in a special video project! Adler staff will be filming visitors' memories and reactions to past, present, and future Moon exploration. Watch for those video clips to appear in Adler's social media outlets soon!
•On Friday, July 17 at 2:00 p.m., see a special talk by author Craig Nelson about his new book "Rocket Men: The Epic Story of the First Men on the Moon". For more information, see the "Apollo Anniversary Lecture" listing on this page.
•The Adler will be celebrating the Moon Landing anniversary on July 20th. Read this event listing for more information about activities.
• Explore the NEW Moon Wall in the Shoot for the Moon exhibition
•Receive a FREE commemorative Apollo 11 poster with paid admission, while supplies last. Each week a different Apollo 11 image will be featured. Collect all five!
•See a special commemoration to Apollo 11 prior to all theater shows during July
•Enter to win one of 11 Adler memberships
•Take part in fun family-friendly activities in the museum
•Look for our Apollo and lunar artifacts in the Shoot for the Moon gallery, including a penlight that Astronaut Buzz Aldrin carried on the Apollo 11 mission
FREE Poster for Week 1
•Every Thursday afternoon from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. (times are approximate), take part in a special video project! Adler staff will be filming visitors' memories and reactions to past, present, and future Moon exploration. Watch for those video clips to appear in Adler's social media outlets soon!
•On Friday, July 17 at 2:00 p.m., see a special talk by author Craig Nelson about his new book "Rocket Men: The Epic Story of the First Men on the Moon". For more information, see the "Apollo Anniversary Lecture" listing on this page.
•The Adler will be celebrating the Moon Landing anniversary on July 20th. Read this event listing for more information about activities.
July 17, 2009
2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
As part of the One Small Step: Apollo 11 40th Anniversary celebration, Award-winning Historian Craig Nelson will speak about the Apollo 11 mission and his new book, Rocket Men, during an afternoon lecture in the Adler's Cyberspace Gallery.
Nelson recounts the story of a twentieth-century pilgrimage; a voyage into the unknown motivated by politics, faith, science and wonder that changed the course of history. But the story of Apollo 11 is, in the end, fundamentally a human one, featuring the genuinely heroic - and idiosyncratic - astronauts, their stoic wives, distracted children and the tech teams at Mission Control (which always smelled of burned coffee, cigarettes and Mexican takeout), all of whom are unforgettable characters in this thrilling account of a journey to one of the last frontiers of the human imagination.
Free with general museum admission. Advance registration and lecture-only admission is not available. Seating is first come, first served. For more information, call 312.922.STAR.
July 20, 2009
On the anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing Adler visitors can take part in special events marking this historical moment in time:
•Touch a real Moon rock between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.
•Enjoy a FREE piece of Lunar Lander cake in Galileo's Café at 3:17 p.m., the exact time Apollo 11 landed on the Moon (while supplies last)
•The Adler will stay open until 10:00 p.m. for a special event including fun activities and free telescope viewing (weather permitting) from 6:30 to 9:30 pm. One activity will be "Make Your Mark" - put your shoeprint in air-dry clay to take home as a memento of the 40th anniversary of the first astronaut footprints on the Moon. Visitors at the event also have the chance to touch a real moon rock!
•Talk to an astronomer in the Space Visualization Lab
•Enjoy Adler sky and space shows and explore the museum's exhibitions, including the new exhibition Telescopes: Through the Looking Glass.
All indoor events are ticketed at the normal admission prices, and the special outdoor telescope observing portion of the event (weather permitting) is FREE.
•Touch a real Moon rock between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.
•Enjoy a FREE piece of Lunar Lander cake in Galileo's Café at 3:17 p.m., the exact time Apollo 11 landed on the Moon (while supplies last)
•The Adler will stay open until 10:00 p.m. for a special event including fun activities and free telescope viewing (weather permitting) from 6:30 to 9:30 pm. One activity will be "Make Your Mark" - put your shoeprint in air-dry clay to take home as a memento of the 40th anniversary of the first astronaut footprints on the Moon. Visitors at the event also have the chance to touch a real moon rock!
•Talk to an astronomer in the Space Visualization Lab
•Enjoy Adler sky and space shows and explore the museum's exhibitions, including the new exhibition Telescopes: Through the Looking Glass.
All indoor events are ticketed at the normal admission prices, and the special outdoor telescope observing portion of the event (weather permitting) is FREE.
Astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Jim Lovell are
pictured after splashing down in the Atlantic
Ocean, returning from the Gemini 12 mission.
July 22, 2009
7:00 p.m.
Thorne Auditorium
Northwestern University
375 East Chicago Avenue
Chicago
7:00 p.m.
Thorne Auditorium
Northwestern University
375 East Chicago Avenue
Chicago
Join former NASA astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Jim Lovell for an evening discussion at Northwestern University's Thorne Auditorium on Wednesday, July 22. Aldrin and Lovell will reflect on their careers in space and share their experiences as early space pioneers.
Following the presentation, Aldrin will be available to sign copies of his new book, Magnificent Desolation: The Long Journey Home from the Moon. The presentation begins at 7:00 pm, and the book signing follows at 8:00 pm. Tickets are $15 for the general public. Members receive a special discount. Call (312) 322-0332 for discount information. To register, visit www.regonline.com/apollo11.
*Space is limited, advance registration required.
*Space is limited, advance registration required.
Saturday, July 25
11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Join us for a fun family extravaganza! On Saturday, July 25, 2009, join us for Telescopes: Through the Looking Glass Family Day. Telescope activities for the whole family will be featured from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Check back here for an activity schedule in early July.
July 15 - 25, 2009
This is your chance to witness the longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century! Join Adler President Paul H. Knappenberger Jr., PhD to experience this rare celestial event from Anji in southern China. We will start in Beijing, touring the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, and the Temple of Heaven before journeying to Xian for its famed terracotta warriors. From Xian, we will stop at Hangzhou's West Lake and prepare for the solar eclipse adventure. We complete our journey in Shanghai, with exciting options to extend your trip. Dr. Knappenberger will guide you through China's rich history and relationship to the sky.
Visit the Adler Travel page for more information.
Special Event: Astronomy Day 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Come participate in a nationwide celebration of astronomy and the International Year of Astronomy at Astronomy Day! Take part in fun hands-on activities and check out the Sun through our safe solar-viewing telescopes (weather permitting). Activities are free with paid building admission.
Ten percent of the Adler Planetarium's electrical power
is now green. We have signed a three year partnership with Community
Energy to supply us with clean, renewable wind energy. Ten percent of
our power is roughly equivalent to the electricity we use in both of our
theaters.
Where are the wind turbines and how
does this work? The wind energy that is generated in our name is placed
on the national electrical distribution grid reducing the amount of fuel
based energy needed.
To learn more about
Community Energy, surf over to www.communityenergy.biz.
Keep thinking green.
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Summer hours (June 15 through September 7): Everyday 9:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. |