Adler Skywatch: February 2023

January 25, 2023

Karen Donnelly

Header image: The bright planets, Venus and Jupiter, are close in the sky, nearby a bright Moon. Image taken on June 30, 2015. Composite image credit and copyright: Wang, Letian The two brightest planets and a once-in-a-lifetime comet are among the sky highlights of the shortest month of the year, February 2023. Here’s your stargazing […]

Fun Facts About The Adler Planetarium’s Doane Observatory Telescope In Chicago

January 23, 2023

Header Image: Adler Planetarium 24″ reflecting telescope in the Doane Observatory after installation in 2020. Did you know the Doane Observatory is home to the largest publicly accessible telescope in Chicago? Since opening in 1977, the observatory in Chicago has had several telescopes within its walls, and these telescopes have given Chicagoans the opportunity to […]

Does Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) Have A Hyperbolic Orbit or a 50,000 Year Orbit?

January 20, 2023

Header Image: Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) showing its green glow and three blue ion tails. Image Credit: Jose Francisco Hernández Everyone is talking about the “Green Comet”—aka Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF)—right now! This cosmic fuzzball recently made its closest approach to the Sun, and has the potential to be bright enough to be seen from […]

Everything You Need To Know About The “Green Comet” AKA Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF)

January 16, 2023

Header Image: Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) showing its green glow and three blue ion tails. Image Credit: Jose Francisco Hernández Editor’s Note: Updated to include information about hyperbolic orbits. Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF), informally called the “Green Comet”, recently made its closest approach to the Sun, after having traveled tens of thousands of years from […]