Adler Planetarium

Infobox_nrhp | name =Adler Planetarium
nrhp_type = nhl

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caption = Adler Planetarium Entry
location= 1300 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL
lat_degrees = 41 | lat_minutes = 51 | lat_seconds = 58.15 | lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 87 | long_minutes = 36 | long_seconds = 24.03 | long_direction = W
area =
built =1929
architect= Ernest Grunsfeld,Jr.
architecture= No Style Listed
designated= February 27, 1987cite web|url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1983&ResourceType=Building
title=Adler Planetarium |accessdate=2007-10-13|work=National Historic Landmark summary listing|publisher=National Park Service]
added = February 27, 1987cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2007-01-23|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service]
governing_body = Private
refnum=87000819 The Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum in Chicago, Illinois was the first planetarium built in the Western Hemisphere and is the oldest in existence today. The Adler was founded and built in 1930 by the philanthropist Max Adler, with the assistance of the first director of the planetarium, Philip Fox. Located on Northerly Island, it is a part of Chicago's Museum Campus along with the Shedd Aquarium and the Field Museum of Natural History.

It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987.citation|title=PDFlink| [http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Text/87000819.pdf National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Adler Planetarium / Adler Planetarium and Astronomical Museum] |547 KiB |date=October, 1985 |author=James H. Charleton |publisher=National Park Service and PDFlink| [http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Photos/87000819.pdf Accompanying 2 photos, exterior, from 1985.] |335 KiB ]

Theatre

The Adler is the only museum in the world with two full-size planetarium theaters.Fact|date=April 2007 Since the museum's opening in 1930, visitors view representations of the night sky in the historic Sky Theater planetarium, the dome of which is visible from the exterior of the building. The Zeiss Planetarium projector is capable of accurately reproducing the movement of every aspect of the night sky. In 1999, the Adler expanded its exhibition space, including the addition of the definiti^TM Theater, a completely digital fulldome video environment powered by DigitalSky 2 software. Outside the Planetarium are two sculptures, one by Henry Moore is a sundial sculpture named "Man Enters the Cosmos", while the second is a Neoclassical sculpture of astronomer Nicholas Copernicus, a replica of a famous 19th century work in Warsaw by Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen [Graf, John, "Chicago's Parks" Arcadia Publishing, 2000, p. 13-14., ISBN 0-7385-0716-4.] .

Replacement projector and the 2008 Presidential election

In the second presidential debate of 2008, John McCain was critical of Obama's support for a $3 million earmark which would have bought a new projector for the planetarium. The current Zeiss Mark VI projector is 40 years old and no longer supported by its manufacturer, Carl Zeiss AG. The Adler has asked six area U.S. representatives and both Illinois senators for assistance in obtaining federal funding for various projects. Both Republicans and Democrats were enlisted for assistance. The replacement projector earmark was not approved. [cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/08/obamas-planetarium-projec_n_133065.html|title=Obama's Planetarium Projector Earmark Explained|publisher=Huffington Post|date=2008-10-08]

Image gallery

Notes

External links

* [http://www.adlerplanetarium.org Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum]
* [http://www.adlerplanetarium.org/research/collections Adler Planetarium Collections & Archives]
* [http://www.adlerplanetarium.org/aboutus/index.shtml#history History of the Adler]
* [http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=7f71a46260e902a53cc50fdbed200cc3 3D Google Earth Model]