Adler Planetarium

The Adler Planetarium in Chicago invites you to join us in exploring space!

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We totally agree, Neil! #neildegrassetyson #mindblown #astronomy #physics #astrophysics #science4everyone #planetarium #scientist #quote #inspiration #cosmos #xploreSTEM #wisewords #awe #outerspace

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#Lookup! Jupiter is in opposition, meaning the #Earth passes between the Sun and Jupiter, placing #Jupiter opposite the Sun. Because of this, Jupiter will shine brighter than any #star in the evening sky. #science4everyone #science #wonder #observe #discover #planetarium #planet #solarSystem

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In honor of the 45th anniversary of #NASA's #Apollo13 mission, we're reimagining our Shoot for the Moon #exhibition as "Mission Moon." We can't wait to better tell the story of America’s first steps into #space, and we need your help—check out the link in our profile to contribute to our #Indiegogo campaign! #MissionMoon #crowdfunding #exhibits #Moon #JimLovell #BuzzAldrin #spacetravel #spacerace #ApolloProgram #ApolloXIII #ApolloXI (at The Adler Planetarium)

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The #Hubble Space Telescope recently revisited the famous "Pillars of Creation," providing astronomers with a much more detailed view of this region in the Eagle Nebula, which was first imaged in 1995. Here, the pillars have been photographed in near-infrared & visible light.

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#HappyNewYear! This message comes to you directly from #space—each letter is an actual #galaxy imaged by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. The Sloan Digital Sky Survey has created the most detailed 3D maps of the #Universe ever made, with deep multi-color images of 1/3 of the sky, and spectra for more than three million #astronomical objects. You can spell your own words with galaxies thanks to galaxyzoo.org and astronomer Steven Bamford. Visit mygalaxies.co.uk to try it. #adds

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Happy birthday, Johannes Kepler! Born today in 1571, Kepler was instrumental in understanding planetary motion, and helped influence later work by Isaac Newton. Here we see #Supernova 1604, the last supernova observed in the Milky Way (in 1604, hence the name), which Kepler observed and tracked for an entire year. Kepler wasn't the first or only person to see the supernova, but he did write the book on it! #milkyway #astronomy #astronomer #Kepler #lookup #science4everyone

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#HappyHolidays! NGC 2264 is a #star forming region of #cosmic gas and dust about 2,700 light-years from #Earth. Within this region you can find the group of stars known as the #Christmas Tree star cluster. The triangular tree shape traced by the stars appears here with its apex (or "tree topper") pointing to the Cone Nebula in the bottom left. #xmas #science4everyone #astronomy #apod #lookup #eso #observation

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Do have access to dark, #clearkies tonight? #Lookup to experience the Geminids #MeteorShower. #Earth runs into a stream of debris from 3200 Phaethon (an extinct #comet) every year in mid-December, causing meteors to appear to fly from the constellation #Gemini. This composite image— recorded a few years ago in Ludanyhalaszi, Hungary—shows the trails from 123 separate meteors. Image copyright Erno Berko.

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Today is the 42nd anniversary of the "Blue Marble" photo—the iconic image of #Earth taken by the #ApolloXVII mission in 1972. You've probably already seen it, but check out @NASA if not! Most iconic #space photographs were made using custom #Hasselblad cameras, like the EDC camera #ApolloXII #astronaut Alan Bean is using in this photo. This camera featured a special lens with a polarization filter, as well as a glass plate with reference crosses which were recorded onto the film during exposure (these are the marks you see on all #lunar #photography from 1968–1972). The cameras were mounted on the pressure suit at chest height and were operated with a squeezable handle trigger. 12 camera bodies were left on the #Moon to make up for the weight of rock samples being brought back to Earth.

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We have #liftoff! #Orion will orbit the #Earth twice and reach an altitude of 3,600 miles before #splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. This unmanned test flight will help improve the design and safety of the spacecraft that could eventually get us to #Mars. #rocket #ImOnBoard #spaceflight #JourneyToMars #science4everyone Photo via @NASA / Bill Ingalls

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Today at 7:05 AM (EST), NASA launched the very first test flight of the Orion space capsule. The technology they're testing will eventually send humans to Mars! Wish them luck!

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Only one day to go until Orion’s first space test! Here’s a cool video about the Orion program! x

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This Thursday at 7:05 AM (EST), NASA will launch the first actual flight test for the Orion spacecraft. An unmanned crew module will be launched from Cape Canaveral atop a Delta IV Heavy Rocket. NASA hopes to test many of the systems aboard the craft during the 4.5 hour long mission. They will also measure the levels of dangerous radiation that could be accumulated while flying through the Van Alien belt, more than 3,600 miles above Earth, and the acoustics and acceleration inside the craft that will determine its safety for future astronauts. Finally, this provides NASA with the opportunity to observe the re-entry and splashdown processes, and make adjustments. Overall this test allows the scientists that designed Orion to see it in action, and make improvements to ensure the safety of the future astronauts. If all goes well with this test, NASA hopes to send a manned mission to an asteroid sometime in the 2020s, and then eventually to Mars. To get updated on the test's progress, follow Orion and the Adler Planetarium on Twitter. Good luck Orion! 

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On November 12th, as the European Space Agency landed its probe Philae in the first ever controlled landing on a comet nucleus, people around the world were listening to one song. 

And it was I Don't Want to Miss a Thing, the Aerosmith song from the 1998 movie Armageddon. Specifically, the scene where Bruce Willis blows up an asteroid. We put it here so you can enjoy the movie in all of its terrible late 90s glory. But seriously, that movie is perfect. x

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Types of matter

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#tbt to #Thanksgiving 2013, when @NASA #astronaut Michael Hopkins, Expedition 38 flight engineer, posed for this photo with his meal aboard the International Space Station. This year, the crew's menu will include irradiated smoked #turkey, thermostabilized candied yams, and freeze-dried green beans and mushrooms. The meal also will feature NASA’s own freeze-dried cornbread dressing (you need to be very careful with crumbs in space!) Happy holidays, everyone! #science4everyone #spaceTravel #space #spaceFood #foodTech #ISS #InstaNASA

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Our #astronaut friends have safely docked to the #ISS this evening! Here's their Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launching earlier from Kazakhstan. Expedition 42 Soyuz Commander Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), Flight Engineer Terry Virts of @NASA, and Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency (ESA) are about to begin their 5.5 month mission on the International Space Station. Image Credit: @NASA/Aubrey Gemignani #spaceTravel #outerSpace #space #launch #blastOff #science4everyone #rocket #engineering