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Adler Planetarium

The First Planetarium in The Western Hemisphere




About the museum, including highlighted exhibits and shows



Adler Planetarium Media Kit Exhibit 1
Andrew Salata
Purdue University

About the Museum


The Adlers Art Deco design was created by Ernest A. Grunsfield, and reflects the architects
interest in the Mayan pyramid temples in Central and South America. The building was
geometrically designed to have 12 corners, with each corner depicting zodiacal sign in a bronze
plaque designed by Alfonso Ianelli. The building opened in 1930, and installed eight bronze
figures depicting the planets in what would be the lobby. However, in January 1930, Pluto was
discovered resulting in a missing figure to depict the nine classical planets. This was rectified in
2006, when the Astronomical Union reclassified Pluto as a dwarf planet. The number of
figurines is now once again accurate. The building is a National Historic Landmark (National
Registry #87000819). Today, the planetarium includes an additional 60,000 square feet of space
after the 1999 expansion with opening of The Sky Pavilion. With the expansion, the Adler is the
only museum with two full-sized planetarium theaters, and also premiered the first all-digital
projection planetarium theater.

Another addition to the planetarium is the Doane Observatory, first built in 1977. In 2014, the
observatory was renovated to create a multipurpose meeting room in the lower level of the
observatory. The upper level of the observatory houses a 20-inch classical Cassegrain telescope,
along with a solar observing, hydrogen-alpha telescope. The observatory provides an opportunity
to look through a telescope to experience visually observing objects in both the night and
daytime sky. During special events at night, visitors will have an opportunity to view the moon,
visible planets, or other celestial objects through the 20-inch larger telescope. These events
include Adler After Dark for adults, and Astro Overnights for families.

Highlighted Exhibits
Mission Moon - With the assistance of Captain James A. Lowell, Jr., the exhibit provides
visitors with a personal story of life as an astronaut. The exhibit includes Captain Lowells
personal artifacts from NASA, and tells the story of NASAs voyage to the moon from the early
stages to the first successful moon landing.
Temporary Exhibit: What is a Planet? Since Pluto reclassification, the question many are
left to ask is If Pluto is not a planet, then what is? To answer the question of how a planet is
defined, the exhibit will provide information on the new approaches and perspective within
science that has lead to how astronomers have reclassified celestial objects. Pluto will always
hold a special place in many hearts, especially as the only planet discovered in America. The
exhibit will let visitors experience anew the reactions when the news first came out regarding
Plutos status. Learn what the current definition of a planet is and have an opportunity to voice
your vote to share your opinion of Pluto with others in real-time polling.
Community Design Lab and Space Visualization Lab Two areas that allow you immerse
yourself in topics related to the technology of space exploration and the theories developed from
research on the cosmos. In the Community Design Lab, you will test materials to determine
what will work best for the particular mission. Then, in the Space Visualization Lab you will
have an opportunity to exchange ideas with the experts, and learn more from onsite astronomers.
Historic Atwood Sphere Visitors are able to experience the night sky as it appeared over
Chicago in 1913. The Atwood Sphere depicts the brightest stars that are seen over Chicago, but
today many are not visible because of light pollution. By entering the exhibit, you have an
opportunity to see what Chicagoans at the beginning of the 20th century saw in their night sky.

Highlighted Shows
Planet Nine Although Pluto is no longer a planet, it is the best known dwarf planet in the
outskirts of our solar system. Astrophysicist Mike Brown and his team at CalTech are exploring
the far-reaches of the Solar System to examine Plutos neighbors. Also, we will be present as
Mike Brown uses the Subaru Telescope in Hawaii to search for the ninth planet. Using orbital
mechanics, the effect on the other Kuiper Belt objects orbits can only be explained by the
existence of another object that may be five times as massive as the Earth.
Destination Solar System The audience becomes space tourists in the year 2096, and the
scene is on a space ship touring the Solar System. The digital projection provides images of the
sun, and a trip through the asteroid belt to visit the Gas Giants, Jupiter and Saturn. Using images
from high-powered telescopes on Earth and space-based telescopes, visitors can see more details
on our Sun and planets.

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