The Adler ‘Scope

Open Source Science
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United Kingdom, 1.7 million people around the world are participating in frontier research, digitizing vast archives of historical documents, and even helping route supplies to hurricane survivors.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 […]

The Far Side of the Galaxy
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. […]

Adler Staff Star: Meet Quo!
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 […]

A Conveyance to This Other World
LUNAR MOUNTAINS AND VALLEYS In November 1609, Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) set out to study the Moon using a recent invention he had heard about a few months prior, and had been playing with ever since: the telescope. According to the principles of Aristotelian cosmology, which still prevailed at the time, the celestial bodies (including the […]

Once in a Blue Moon
Cover Photo Credit: Chris Smith For decades NASA’s plans for human space exploration have focused on Mars as the preeminent target. However, in December 2017, the Trump administration issued a national policy directive through its freshly reconstituted Space Council calling for a return to the Moon—not just with Apollo-style landings, but “for long-term exploration and […]

Adler Skywatch: January 2019
Bright stars and planets, meteors, an eclipse, a “Supermoon,” and a close approach by the Sun are all expected during January 2019. In evening twilight this month, the planet Mars is high in the southern skies. The night of the 12th, it appears near a waxing crescent Moon. Each evening Mars appears higher in the […]

A Total Lunar Eclipse
Did you get to see the lunar eclipse this past January right before sunrise? It was tough to see. The Moon was low in the west, and we didn’t get to view the entire eclipse because the Moon set before the eclipse finished. Folks out in the western U.S. got a much better chance to […]

Dream Big
Author: Annie Vedder (Former Curator of Experience) It takes a great deal of confidence to make our visions reality. I understand this firsthand because, like so many people, I’ve had ambitious ideas, but had no idea how to make them come to fruition. In 2014, I had the opportunity to update the exhibit about Captain […]

Adler Staff Star: Meet Yolanda!
Yolanda V. Guest Services Shift Supervisor What do you enjoy the most about working at the Adler? What I enjoy most about working at the Adler is leading a great team on a daily basis and watching them give our guests memorable experiences. What is one of your favorite memories from your time at the […]

Sailing to the Moon and Back
This December, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 8 mission to the Moon, one of the most amazing journeys of exploration in human history. This was the first time humans ever ventured away from Earth’s immediate vicinity, and the first time anyone saw both sides of the Moon with their own eyes. On […]