Museum dedicated to the study of astronomy and astrophysics, located on the shore of Lake Michigan in Chicago, and was the first planetarium in the United States

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Overview

The Adler Planetarium is a public museum dedicated to the study of astronomy and astrophysics. It was founded in 1930 by Chicago business leader Max Adler. It is located on the northeast tip of Northerly Island at the shore of Lake Michigan in Chicago. The Adler was the first planetarium in the United States and is part of Chicago's Museum Campus, which includes the John G. Shedd Aquarium and The Field Museum. The Adler's mission is to inspire exploration and understanding of the universe.

The Adler Planetarium opened to the public on May 12, 1930. For its design, architect Ernest A. Grunsfeld Jr. was awarded the gold medal of the Chicago chapter of the American Institute of Architects in 1931. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987.

The Adler is home to three full size theaters, extensive space science exhibitions, the Gemini 12 space capsule, and a significant collection of antique scientific instruments and print materials. In addition, the Adler boasts the Doane Observatory, one of the only research-active, public urban observatories.

Outdoor sculptures at the planetarium include Man Enters the Cosmos by Henry Moore (1980), Spiral Galaxy by John David Mooney (1998), and America's Courtyard by Ary Perez and Denise Milan.

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Adler Planetarium", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0