The Adler ‘Scope

On May 16, 2019, in partnership with the Adler Planetarium Women’s Board, the Adler will host its annual Women in Space Science Award Celebration (WISS). This event honors women who make significant contributions to space science and pave the way for future generations in STEM. The Adler is proud to recognize former NASA chief astronaut […]

The following is a webcomic created by Adler Visiting Researcher, Reheynah (Rey) Maktoufi! In this comic, learn about the recent black hole picture that was taken by the Event Horizon Telescope team. Special thanks to Dr. Geza Gyuk, Michelle Nichols, Dr. Grace Wolf-Chase, Steve Burkland, and Orilla Fetro. Header Image: Scientists have obtained the first […]

Though the Sun sets later and later each evening this month, there are still plenty of fine night-sky sights in May 2019. After sunset, look about 25 degrees above the west-northwest horizon to see the planet Mars. It’s dimmer than first magnitude in brightness, but it’s still bright enough—and colorful enough—to be easily spotted. The […]

Header Photo: Overhead image of Kankakee/Bradley, IL from Far Horizons high-altitude balloon test flight 118 on April 29, 2018. The image was shot from 24.5 kilometers up into the stratosphere. This flight was the first successful NiteLite test flight, proving that mapping light pollution in Chicago would be a possibility. Since the dawn of humanity, […]

Featured image: our beautiful Earth taken from the edge of space by our very own Far Horizons team & Adler Teens! As an astronomer who researches planets around other stars as well as the planets in our Solar System, I often get asked: “What’s your favorite planet?” I think many people expect that I’ll name […]

Header Image Photo Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech It is only a few short weeks until my favorite holiday, May the 4th! A time for Star Wars fans to embrace the lore and celebrate the rich world created by George Lucas. In honor of this joyous occasion, I thought that it would be apropos for this AstroFan to […]

Editor’s Note: Updated in May 2023 to reflect more current and updated information. Becky Rother Former Product Designer You work on a unique team here at the Adler. Could you give a quick summary about what Zooniverse is? Zooniverse is a people-powered research platform, based here at the Adler and at the University of Minnesota […]

Ah, Citizen Science Day—what a day to be alive! How amazing is it that ordinary citizens all over the world are helping to contribute to real scientific research RIGHT NOW, possibly on the verge of making some exciting new discoveries?! “Wait… how is that possible?” you ask. Simply put, citizen science is a way for […]

Black Holes are incredible beasts… Nothing can escape from them and yet they power quasars—the brightest beacons in the Universe. They warp space, bending light, and slow time to a stopping point. In their hearts lurks a singularity where the laws of physics break down. But they are shrouded in mystery. We have lots of […]

“Chicago’s Black Women in STEAM” is a series on The Adler ’Scope that highlights the awesome women of Chicago who are doing amazing things in science, technology, engineering, art, and math fields here in our own community. Meet women of varying ages, backgrounds, and interests and learn their unique stories. Lisa BeasleyCreative Director at The […]