It might surprise you to know that the first and oldest planetarium constructed in the Western Hemisphere may be found in Chicago.  In 1930, eighty years ago, the Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum was founded and built by Max Adler, a philanthropist and American businessman (Vice President of Sears Roebuck & Co.), along with Philip Fox, the planetarium director.  Declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987, the Adler Planetarium stands alongside the Shedd Aquarium and the Field Museum of Natural History on Northerly Island.

Living in Los Angeles, I’ve always appreciated the Griffith Observatory on Mount Hollywood, as well as the Mount Wilson Observatory, which Albert Einstein used.  My few experiences with those astronomical structures have left me with an interest in planetariums in general, and when I have the chance, I’d love to find my way to Chicago, find a hotel, and spend a few days taking in the sites available on Northerly Island.  Like most planetariums and observatories, the skies and the wonders of the solar system will open up to you: At the Adler Planetarium, for instance, you’ll be able to see Saturn’s Rings or Jupiter’s Great Red Spot.  You’ll be able to take in shows that help us take in the infinite nature of the Universe.  They’re now playing a number of shows, including 3-D Vision: Imaging the Universe, which takes a look at how science visualizes the universe, allowing us to look at the surface of Mars, all the way back to the Big Bang (the beginnings of the Universe), to galaxy formation with the stars numbering in the hundreds of billions.

There are programs, too, aimed for kids, such as One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure, which is a planetarium show based on Sesame Street.  Or IBEX: Search for the Edge of the Solar System, which follows scientists as they investigate precisely where our solar system ends and the rest of the galaxy begins.  If you’d like to know more about the solar system, the galaxy, or the universe in general, I recommend taking a look at Space.com; and, once you do, find your way to the nearest planetarium, whether that’s the Adler or not!