10 Things At The Adler Planetarium You Don’t Want To Miss
Header Image: Adler Planetarium December 2021.
Editor’s Note: Updated in January 2024 to reflect more current and updated exhibit information.
As the first planetarium in the Western Hemisphere (and one of the historic attractions located on Chicago’s Museum Campus) we’ve got some pretty stellar exhibits you don’t want to miss during your visit! Read on to check these experiences off your Chicago museum bucket list and learn some behind-the-scenes tidbits along the way.
#1 Our Dome Theater Sky Shows: Niyah and the Multiverse and Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side Of The Moon
One of the coolest things about the Adler Planetarium is that we have not one, but two dome theaters! Fun fact: we were also the first planetarium in Chicago to open a dome theater back in the day. When you step inside a planetarium dome theater and take a seat, you become immersed in spectacular space visualizations that transport you across time and space.
Premiering February 2024, Niyah and the Multiverse follows Niyah—an imaginative Chicago pre-teen—on a visually stunning Afrofuturist journey through the multiverse! Now playing until December 2024, Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side Of The Moon celebrates the 50th anniversary of one of the best selling albums of all time with an immersive space and musical experience like you’ve never seen before. Imagine the Moon is a sky show that explores how the Moon has inspired human creativity, learning, and exploration ever since we have looked to the sky. Check out all of our different sky shows here.
#2 Our Newest Exhibit: Chasing Eclipses
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to stand in the shadow of the Moon? As the Moon blots out the Sun, turning day into night, you will feel like you are in another world. The spine-tingling, goosebump-inducing experience—attainable only on Earth—will leave you in awe. In the Chasing Eclipses exhibit, discover how people past and present have predicted when and where to stand in the narrow corridor of totality—and prepare to chase down a total solar eclipse for yourself. The next solar eclipse visible in Chicago and across the United States is happening on April 8, 2024.
#3 Say Cheese and Take A Selfie
There are eight different Selfie Spots around the museum—can you find them all?
Take a selfie with our inflatable Moon near the Cosmic Cafe, on a light pollution map of Chicago in Chicago’s Night Sky or with the JWST mirrors in Stargazers Hub. When exploring Our Solar System, there are a couple of awesome selfie spots where you can take pictures with large models of Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune, or Uranus hanging from the ceiling, and a real meteorite from the Arizona desert. Please note: starting in spring 2024,Our Solar System exhibit will be retired to make way for a brand-new experience! Get in and see it while you can.
#4 Astronomical Objects Everywhere
The Adler has the best and most comprehensive sundial collection in all of North America, but we also have a ton of other collections objects too! You can learn about different cultures through these objects like astrolabes and celestial globes on display. We’ve also got a lot of space artwork featured throughout the museum. In Chicago’s Night Sky there is a stellar piece of artwork by Frederick J. Brown titled, “Milky Way.” This work of art weighs in at about 375lbs. To secure it to the wall we used a series of special hooks and five staff members to lift it up!
#5 The Doane Observatory
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 look up at the Sun, the Moon, stars, nebulae and planets despite light pollution’s interference in the city. The Doane is open (weather permitting) during select Adler at Nights throughout the year.
To know when the Doane will be open, join our Facebook Group. You can also check in at the box office on the evening of your visit to inquire about the availability of the Observatory.
#6 The Telescope Terrace
When skies are clear and the weather is nice, our public observing educators and telescope volunteers will be out on the terrace with small ‘scopes for daytime observing fun. The telescope terrace is located to the right of the Accessible Entrance of the Adler Planetarium!
#7 An Out-Of-This-World Stomp Rocket
Located in our Mission Moon exhibit, there is an interactive stomp rocket where you can build your own foam rocket and try to send it up as high as you possibly can through the atmosphere (aka a very large tube)!
#8 Architectural Secrets
In 1930—the year the Adler Planetarium opened—Italian-American sculptor Alfonso Iannelli built and installed a dedication plaque in what is known as our Rainbow Lobby. To get into the museum, you walk up the front steps and pass through this lobby! Why is it called the Rainbow Lobby you ask? Around sunset every single day, the Sun’s rays pass through our glass angled prism-like front doors causing the light to bend and the colors in the Sun’s light to spread out, creating lots of tiny rainbows!
Fun fact: the Rainbow Lobby’s dedication plaque is not the only sculpture around the building created by Alfonso Iannelli. Outside and inside the Planetarium are 12 zodiac constellation plaques that match the Rainbow Lobby’s plaques that depict the planets.
#9 Spaces For Collaboration, Curiosity, and Experimentation
Around the planetarium are several Community Design Labs that are flexible spaces for guests to learn through play, test ideas, create art, and reflect. Located in the Telescopes: Through The Looking Glass exhibit, the brand new Community Stargazers Hub offers a multiversity journey through time with a focus on historic objects and is great for all ages. The Community PlayLab is located in the Planet Explorers exhibit and is great for children six and under and their families. The Community Star Studio is located in the Chicago’s Night Sky exhibit and is great for all ages!
Most of these spaces are open 10:00 am–2:00 pm Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday–Sunday pending staff availability, however, Stargazers Hub is always open during our public open hours.
#10 City Views
There’s lots to look at on the inside at the Adler, but what about the outside? We’ve been located on Chicago’s lakeshore for almost 93 years, and the views of the city are unbelievable! Fun fact: there is a huge sundial out in front of the Adler. Have you seen it before?
Choose Your Space Adventure—Get Tickets
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