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When the sun shines, we look up into a clear sky filled with light – literally – as what we see is the scattering of light from the sun by the gases and other particles which make up our atmosphere. From deep blues to glorious reds, the daytime sky is filled with color and light. On a clear day, we can see for miles! At night, however, the sky grows dark and our vista expands beyond mere miles. When the stars come out, we can see across the span of countless trillions of miles and millions of years into the past. Sadly, for those of us who live in or near cities, the sky is rarely dark at night. Dust, smoke, soot and other pollutants, streetlights, billboards, homes and businesses aglow fill the night sky with a different light, a man-made one. The urban view of the night sky is a pale comparison to the one afforded those lucky enough to live where the sky is truly clear at night. What if we could make the atmosphere disappear? Temporarily of course! Or at least turn off all the lights and magically eliminate all the dust and pollution? We can’t really do either, here in Chicago, but in the Adler Planetarium we can simulate it. Using a sophisticated projector, the night sky is recreated on the surface of a hemispherical dome. We can relax in comfortable reclining chairs, soak up the “atmosphere”, as it were, and view the sky as it would appear from any place, and from any time, on Earth. The Adler Planetarium recently celebrated its 75th anniversary and is the oldest Planetarium in the United States. In addition to the historic Zeiss Planetarium Theater captured in this panorama, the Adler houses a wonderful museum, featuring a world class collection of antique astronomical instruments and the world’s first all digital projection theater. The Planetarium is also a leader in science education with programs for astronomy enthusiasts of all ages. For additional information visit: http://adlerplanetarium.org Making the panorama: Spheres inside spheres
Shortcut to this page: http://worldwidepanorama.org/wwp_rss/go/n3166
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