Sky Observing
Looking up with a telescope is pretty incredible, wouldn’t you agree?
Telescope observing is an experience unlike any other. Some have gasped when seeing something through the eyepiece they have never seen before while some have actually cried. What was your first experience seeing a planet, a nebulae, or other celestial object through a telescope? Haven’t had your first experience yet? Come along and let the Adler Planetarium be your guide.
Launching into astronomy, especially sky watching, doesn’t have to be a significant investment of time and money—the very first astronomers used only their eyes to make observations of the night sky. If you’re not sure where to start, then you’ve come to the right place! Whether you’re interested in our plethora of sky observing opportunities or you want to get involved with the astronomy community, this page will be a guide to your venture into our universe.
Adler Sky Observing 101 Guides And Resources
- Adler Sky Observing 101: Where to Go
- Adler Sky Observing 101: What to See
- Choosing A Telescope
- Join The ‘Scopes With The Adler Facebook Group
- Ask Adler Astronomers Questions
- Look Up Book: designed to ease new skywatchers into the wonderful world of astronomy
Explore Our Sky Observing Opportunities
’Scopes at the Adler combines everything you love about our neighborhood telescope program (looking at cool objects, learning from our educators, and more!) but from our home on the shores of beautiful Lake Michigan. Throughout the week there are opportunities to observe the daytime or nighttime sky from the Telescope Terrace. Or you can observe through our Doane Observatory telescope on Wednesday nights!
‘Scopes in the City astronomy educators and volunteers bring the museum—and the universe—a little closer to you! These free telescope observing programs at local libraries, restaurants, bars, and parks allow us bring our telescopes used for observing the night and daytime sky across many Chicago neighborhoods.
Discover what it means to observe something in the sky—and how to see it for yourself—with our astronomy educators! Observe upcoming cosmic happenings, enhance your astrophotography skills and see celestial objects through a telescope virtually in this live YouTube series.
Subscribe to get upcoming Sky Observers Hangout livestream notifications
Tour the night sky on select Wednesdays with the Adler Planetarium’s Theaters Manager Nick, who uses cutting edge visualizations, NASA images, and astrophotography to show you what you can see in the night sky throughout the year.
Subscribe to be notified about new Skywatch Wednesday episodes
Thanks To Our Sponsors
A special thank you to the Founding Donor of our public observing programs, The Petrovich Family.
