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Domain: adlerplanetarium.org

Stories and comments across the archive that link to adlerplanetarium.org.

Comments · 7

  1. Re:This makes me sad. by necro81 · · Score: 1 · on A Look Inside the 8K Theater Technology At the Newly Renovated Fiske Planetarium

    Take heart: the Adler Planetarium in Chicago invested in a new Zeiss Mark VI about five years ago. You may have heard about it: John McCain, either through ignorance or willful deception, referred to it as an overhead projector, a $3 mil earmark that (then-Senator) Obama had requested.

  2. Adler Planetarium - Apollo 13 by Artagel · · Score: 1 · on Apollo 13 Mission Manual Pages To Be Auctioned

    For those with less money, and in Chicago, the Adler Planetarium has a raft of events for the 40th anniversary of Apollo 13. http://www.adlerplanetarium.org/special/index.shtml#apollo And for those with a fair bit of money there is an expensive dinner with a bunch of astronauts, including the two still-living Apollo 13 astronauts. www.adlerplanetarium.org/special/doc/Apollo13invite (Yes, I know, seriously off-topic, but please don't punish!)

  3. Chicago Museums by CaptCrunk · · Score: 1 · on Science, Technology, Natural History Museums?

    Chicago does have the Museum of Science and Industry, but also houses the Field Museum, Adler Planetarium, and the Shedd Aquarium. While it seems that this would be less interesting, it's worth mentioning the Chicago Art Institute too. All of these museums are fairly close to each other (with the exception of the Museum of Science and Industry).

  4. Re:Shh! Don't tell McCain! He'll go POW on you! by DeltaStorm · · Score: 3, Informative · on Inside the World's Most Advanced Planetarium

    They didn't even get the money. They released a statement after the debate http://www.adlerplanetarium.org/pressroom/pr/2008_10_08_AdlerStatement_aboutdebate.pdf

  5. Small, rocky planets are more dense by geoswan · · Score: 1 · on Terrestrial (Rocky) Planet Discovered
    Should we automatically assume that this planet 14 times the mass of the Earth will be denser than the Earth?

    If you look at the density of the planets in our solar system you will see that the smaller rocky planets are more dense than the more massive planets.

    Most of the Universe is Hydrogen. Hydrogen is very light. That means that hydrogen molecules move more quickly.

    It is like Maxwell's daemon. Some of the hydrogen at the edge of the planet's atmosphere will be slower than average, and some will be faster then average. A less massive planet with less powerful gravitational field has a slower escape velocity. If that fast moving hydrogen, at the edge of the atmosphere, is moving at greater than the planet's escape velocity, and it doesn't hit another gas molecule to slow it down, its lost for good.

    This is why Earth's atmosphere has no free hydrogen. Ditto Venus, Mars and Mercury. This is why Mars has such a puny atmosphere. If the Earth had formed out near Pluto it may have retained a huge amount of hydrogen.

    If the temperature of this 14x planet is not too high, maybe its escape velocity is high enough that it retained a lot of hydrogen and helium too.

    However, if it is orbiting its Primary in just ten days, maybe the temperature of its gas is high enough that it will lose its atmosphere as I described above anyhow.

  6. Re:Too early by xanthus · · Score: 1 · on Spectacular 5 Planet Lineup Visible This Month
    Living in Chicago, I don't expect to really appreciate this as much as if I lived outside the bright lights of the city.

    Advance warning gives me time to begin scoping out the best web sites for observations and to see what the local planetarium has to offer.

    So yeah, this is a bit early for most people. But I, for one, am glad to know this ahead of time.

  7. Reminds me of plans for a backyard reactor... by hiryuu · · Score: 1 · on On-Line Uranium Auctions

    Way back when, I picked up a copy of "Science Made Stupid" at the Adler Planetarium gift shop. Among other things, it included spoof plans for building your own backyard nuclear reactor, which advised that you "wear rubber gloves" [sic] when handling the uranium rods. Quite a giggle - might be time to pick that one up off the shelf and check some auctions.:)