Adler Planetarium - Chicago, IL
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Shorelander
N 41° 51.982 W 087° 36.427
16T E 449615 N 4635117
The oldest extant planetarium in the world is also a science museum in Chicago's Museum Campus along Lake Michigan.
Waymark Code: WM153H
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 01/17/2007
Views: 76
The Adler Planetarium, located along a manmade peninsula jutting into Lake Michigan, is one of the premier museums in Chicago, situated at the east end of the city's Museum Campus. Opened on May 12, 1930, the planetarium was the first in the western hemisphere. Visitors from around the world flocked to it, in no small part owing to its location on the fairgrounds of the 1933-1934 World's Fair.
The planetarium grew and changed over the years, developing new programs in response to the burgeoning interest in space in the '50s and '60s. Another wave of renovations and expansions would be conducted throughout the 1990s, culminating in the opening of the Sky Pavilion, a skylit exhibit area with a café, in 1999. New exhibits, plus two astronomical theaters, provide ample opportunity for entertainment as well as education.
The museum's collection includes a vast array of classical, medieval, and renaissance observational devices, including astrolabes and sextants as well as telescopes. This collection is regarded as one of the finest of its type in the world. Furthermore, the museum also houses the Atwood Sphere, a large sphere which you can enter and view the night sky as it appeared in Chicago around the museum's opening. Of course, to complement these classical collections, the museum has a series of modern, state-of-the-art exhibits depicting the latest advancements in space research and astronomy.
Name: Adler Planetarium
Location/Address:
1300 S Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL United States of America
60605
Telephone Number: 312-922-STAR (7287)
Web Site: [Web Link]
Type/Specialty: Planetarium
Educational programs: Many - see http://www.adlerplanetarium.org/education/index.shtml
Theater: Two - the Sky Theater and the StarRider Theater
Hours of operation: 9:30 AM-4:30 PM (open until 6:00 PM in summer)
Admission Fee: $7 for general admission (discounts available - extra charges for shows)
Gift Shop: yes
Cafe/Restaurant: Galileo's Café
Other Features: On-site observatory, Atwood Sphere, lake view
Agency/Ownership: Not listed
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