The Adler ‘Scope

What do you get when you mix an indoor soccer field, 500 cubic feet of helium, 100 middle schoolers, endless duct tape, 40 Adler staff and volunteers, 150 boxed lunches, and a pile of Snap Circuits? Why, Operation Airlift, of course!

Header Image: Eight square images of Adler Zooniverse space projects with the “Adler Zooniverse” logo in the center. Whether you’re already a volunteer or new to the world of Cit Sci, now is the perfect time to get involved and find a research project you’re passionate about! There are so many research projects and scientists […]

Header image: A composite of eleven pictures showing the progression of a total solar eclipse. [ Image credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani), edited by the Adler Planetarium ] An entire day is dedicated to celebrating the planet we know best this month, April 2023. Don’t forget to celebrate Earth Day on April 22; and while you’re at […]

Header Image: The 2013 spring equinox, as seen from space. Image Credit: Nasa/ Earth Observer, edited by the Adler Planetarium Possibly the most photogenic planetary pairing of the year kicks-off this month, March 2023. Here’s your stargazing guide to view the Venus-Jupiter Conjunction, the spring equinox and other celestial events.  Venus and Jupiter Conjunction Just […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Header Image: Color enhanced image of Jupiter’s southern hemisphere, taken on February 12, 2019 by NASA’s Juno spacecraft. Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Kevin M. Gill Written by Dr. Geza Gyuk, the Adler Planetarium’s Senior Director of Astronomy and Bella Mutert, the Adler Planetarium’s Digital Marketing Specialist Have you ever found yourself wondering, “what would Jupiter taste like?” […]

Header Image: An illustration of the December 2021 Geminid meteor shower. Image Credit: NASA Editor’s Note: This blog has been updated to include information about Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) 2023 opens with Earth’s closest approach to the Sun and a potential showy meteor shower. These events and more are among the sky highlights of this […]