Your guide to the best stargazing spots in Chicago and across the midwest.

What’s in the sky in June, 2025? Learn about the summer solstice and how to see the planets Venus, Saturn, Mercury, and Mars, this month.

What’s in the sky in May, 2025? How to see the planets Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars, along with the Eta Aquariid meteor shower this month.

What’s in the sky in April 2025? Your last chance to see wintertime stars, Sirius, Betelgeuse, Rigel, and Procyon, plus how to see the planets, the summer triangle, and the Lyrid meteor shower.

Learn how to identify planets in the night sky with your naked eye. Wow your friends with your knowledge of visible planets in the night sky.

Header Image: Total solar eclipse from August 21, 2017. An annular solar eclipse occurs—though it won’t be easy to see—and a new season starts this month, June 2021. An annular solar eclipse takes place on June 10; and technically, it is visible in the Chicago area. First off, never look directly at the Sun without […]

In this hands-on activity for families, we encourage you to create your own DIY constellation.

Meet the man behind the Adler Planetarium’s Skywatch Weekly YouTube show that gives you a weekly virtual tour of what’s up in our sky.

Header Image: Looking through a telescope at the Adler Planetarium. Editor’s Note: This blog was originally published in August 2020 and was updated in August 2024 with more current information. One question we often get at the Adler is: “I’m a beginner. What’s the best telescope for me?”  The really short answer is, “The best […]

Every summer, Michelle Larson, President and CEO of the Adler Planetarium, loves to attend a star party (or two!) with her family. Star parties are one of those scenarios where groups of people get together and camp out in a place where the night sky is highly visible. People bring tents, blankets, hot chocolate… and […]