Far Horizons

Design an experiment and launch it into space!

Far Horizons has a mission: bringing real space exploration down to Earth and into the hands of students, volunteers, and the public. For over twelve years, we have designed and built experiments with participants of all ages and sent them to the stratosphere aboard high-altitude balloons. We mentor, experiment, design, launch, and explore.

Far Horizons was started in 2006 as the brainchild of two Adler astronomers including Geza Gyuk. They were excited by the opportunity high-altitude balloon missions offered as a hands-on science and engineering experience. Over the next twelve years, the team grew and has since launched approximately 100 stratospheric missions with hundreds of experiments on board. What started as an interesting exploration by two Adler astronomers has grown to engage hundreds of students, volunteers and participants every year in over a dozen programs. Meet the team a part of Far Horizons!

Do you want to follow our high-altitude balloon flights live? Check out our upcoming flight schedule. Most flights launch between 11:00 am and noon. A typical flight takes about two hours. To follow live, go to aprs.fi and enter KC9LHW-11 or KC9LIG-11 in the “Track Callsign” box during the flight. By mousing over any of the points along the flight you can see the altitude, velocity, and direction of our payload!

Mission NiteLite: Rescuing the Night Sky

Mission NiteLite (Night Imaging of Terrestrial Environments), part of the Far Horizons program, was launched to forward our understanding of light pollution. It involves a range of technologies designed at the Adler Planetarium to achieve our science and mission goal—all led by teams of students, volunteers, and scientists working together.

Mission NiteLite is made up of three teams: NITELite, Ground Observation Network, and Youth Organization for Lights Out.

NITElite
We’re attempting a world’s first: mapping light pollution from the stratosphere! The intent is to image every streetlight in Chicago from 20 miles up. From this unique vantage point, taking thousands of images, we can weave together a map of the entire city of Chicago at night at a resolution good enough to distinguish every streetlight in the city.

Ground Observation Network
The Ground Observation Network (GONet) project aims to monitor the effect of Chicago’s light pollution from the ground with an array of these GONet cameras looking up and capturing the entire sky in one image. The dataset that will be created from high-resolution maps taken from NITELite’s high-altitude balloons and the robust network of GONet cameras imaging the night sky from below will be a scientific first in light pollution mapping.

Youth Organization for Lights Out
Students from Little Village in Chicago run a group called Youth Organization for Lights Out (YOLO) in partnership with the Adler’s teen programs. Teens involved in the program become environmental activists in their community and are committed to teaching the next generation so they too can be empowered.