The Adler ‘Scope

Header Image: A tour group going up into the Atwood Sphere at the 2019 Adler After Dark: A Night in the Afrofuture event. Update: This blog was revised in February 2024 to include information about Niyah and the Multiverse. What’s Afrofuturism? Great question! We asked leading Afrofuturism expert, Ytasha Womack, to fill us in! Womack […]

The Adler Planetarium was established in Chicago in 1930. That means that we have 89 years worth of collections objects that have made their way into our midst. From astrolabes to works on paper, these objects are wrapped in inspiring stories, mysterious histories, and have fascinating origins. In the summer of 2018, the Adler Planetarium […]

Editor’s Note: Updated in May 2023 to reflect more current and updated information. Jasmine Porter Former Guest Services Representative What do you enjoy the most about working at the Adler? My coworkers, for sure. They’re all so witty and fun to be around, and bursting with talent! I don’t think I’ve ever worked with a […]

“Chicago’s Black Women in STEAM” is a new 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. Ashley L. Walker Chicago […]

The closest “Supermoon,” of the year and glimpses of all the naked-eye-visible planets can be expected during February 2019. About an hour after sunset, the planet Mars is about halfway up in the sky, between the zenith and the southwest horizon. It’s not as bright as some of the wintertime evening stars to its east, […]

During the month of January, Adler staff members were invited to participate in a video project to talk about the importance of Black History Month. Sign-up sheets were circulated around the museum, and one by one, names appeared on the list. We were ready to talk about the following questions: 1. What does Black History […]

The Adler Planetarium opened to the public on May 12, 1930, forming a triumvirate of museums with the Field Museum and the Shedd Aquarium in what is nowadays known as Chicago Museum Campus, a beautiful park by Lake Michigan. In 1932 the Adler’s first director, Philip Fox, wrote: “the three [museums] are fittingly closely associated […]

Thanks to a unique partnership between the Adler and the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, 1.7 million people around the world are participating in frontier research, digitizing vast archives of historical documents, and even helping route supplies to hurricane survivors. Zooniverse was born more than a decade ago from a desire to make […]

Growing up in Cicero—a Chicago suburb that shares a border with the city’s Lawndale neighborhood—Theresa Melo never really thought about going to college. Now, she’s a senior at Agnes Scott College, just outside Atlanta, using radio waves to see through the murky parts of our galaxy. Of course, this change of heart didn’t happen overnight. […]

Quo Raines Exhibit Maintenance Technician What do you enjoy the most about working at the Adler? What I enjoy most about working at the Adler (besides the everyday interactions with guests), is the opportunity to showcase my talents and dedicated hard work via exhibit galleries, pieces, and displays for all the world to see. I […]