Header Image: Total lunar eclipse seen in the United States on April 15th, 2014 in San Jose, California. Image Credit: NASA Ames Research Center/Brian Day Thanks to a lunar eclipse, you can watch the full Moon fade away and reappear within the space of a few hours this month, November 2021. The eclipse occurs in […]

Header Image: Adler Teen Stratonaut Duncan A. Yuen presenting the team’s findings about light pollution from the trip to Little Red Schoolhouse at an Adler Planetarium event. Seeing a night sky—specifically one that is not affected by light pollution—can be life-changing! If you live in Chicago or a large city with lots of lights, those […]

Header Image: Adler Teen Alum Grace Crim is seen here working with other team members who were part of the Adler Teens Stratonauts program. Seeing a night sky—specifically one that is not affected by light pollution—can be life-changing! If you live in Chicago or a large city with lots of lights, those lights will drown […]

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 […]

Header Image: The original image of galaxies NGC 6285 (left) and NGC 6286 (right) was taken by NASA Hubble. Image Edit: Adler Planetarium We all know that social distancing is a good way to avoid catching (or spreading) a virus, but what if the stakes were even higher? What if standing too close to someone […]

Header Image: Look Up to see Jupiter and Saturn are among the stars of Sagittarius the Archer throughout July 2020. With clear skies, a clear view to the eastern horizon, and good timing, you may be able to see all five naked-eye visible planets this month, July 2020. The brilliant planet Jupiter starts the show, […]

This year’s summer solstice occurs on the 20th, at 4:44 p.m. Central Daylight Time. On that date the Sun rises just before 5:15 a.m. and doesn’t set until shortly after 8:30 p.m. Between those times, the Sun gets very high in the sky. Keep in mind this takes place in the Northern Hemisphere; those in […]

What’s better than the near approach of a comet? How about the near approach of two comets? That’s what we’re expecting during the month of May, 2020! Comet C/2019 Y4, also known as Comet ATLAS, was discovered late last December. It will come closest to Earth on May 23rd, at a distance of about 72 […]

Happy April, stargazers! The closest supermoon of the year takes place this month, April 2020. Supermoon is a nickname that describes a Full Moon that occurs within 10% of its closest approach to Earth. Astronomers refer to supermoons as a perigean Full Moon. The April 7th Full Moon is just under 222,000 miles from Earth. […]

The three naked-eye-visible planets outside Earth’s orbit will appear less than 20 degrees apart in the sky this month, March 2020. The planets Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn can be seen low in the southeast just as morning-twilight begins to lighten the sky. Jupiter is the brightest of the three, and it serves as a guidepost […]