It seems people are always searching the sky for answers to the unknown. Chicago is no exception to this rule, as you’ll see when you visit the Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum.

The planetarium exists in large part to the generosity of Max Adler, a senior officer and early stockholder in Sears, Roebuck and Company. Mr. Adler was awestruck with what he saw on a trip to Germany in 1928 - a modern mechanism used to create the image of a night sky. This device inspired  Mr. Adler to donate the funds necessary to build the first modern planetarium in the western hemisphere.

Ever since the Adler Planetarium opened in 1930, it has amazed and educated those who gaze up at its "night sky" and other celestial exhibits. The Adler completed a massive renovation in January of 1999 that doubled it's exhibit space and added state -of-the -art presentations. With the renovation of the original structure and the addition of the new 60,000 square foot Sky Pavilion, there is no shortage of things to see and do here.

Some of the  most complete collections of historical artifacts in the world in the fields of astronomy, navigation, time keeping and engineering are held in the History of Astronomy Galleries. Interactive exhibits like Space Walk, where the experience of stepping out into outer space is simulated. While in the Gateway to the Universe gallery, you can also investigate the roles played by light, gravity, motion and energy through interactive exhibits. The refurbished Sky Theater premiers various sky shows during the year. 

The new Sky Pavilion features four exhibit galleries that include interactive exhibits and cool things like live NASA feeds. There's also a telescope terrace, a lakefront restaurant and the world’s first StarRider™ Theater where the audience can explore the universe through virtual reality.

The Ameritech exhibition gallery showcases The Milky Way Galaxy, allowing visitors to explore our own galaxy with a 3-D computer animated fly-through. In Our Solar System, find out about the birth of the solar system with Formations Theater’s computer animation. Discover the highlights from 1,000 years of astronomical discovery in the Pritzker Cosmology Gallery where the Adler’s collection of historical astronomical instruments will be on display including the newly restored Dearborn Telescope.