The Adler Planetarium’s Doane Observatory is pretty special. It is home to the largest aperture telescope available to the public in the Chicagoland area! That means that guests get to see the sharpest and brightest view of our universe that Chicago has to offer. It gathers over 5,000 times more light than the unaided human eye, allowing you to see celestial objects that are trillions of miles away. And we think that’s pretty cool!
The Doane is open to the public periodically for safe, daytime telescope views of the Sun. We suggest inquiring at the Box Office when you arrive at the Adler to find out if the Observatory is open on the day of your visit.
Access to the Observatory is facilitated by Adler Planetarium telescope volunteers; as such, this schedule may change without prior notice.
Doane at Dusk While the Observatory is open periodically during daytime hours, Doane at Dusk offers visitors a unique opportunity to see a variety of celestial objects, like Jupiter or Saturn, with nighttime telescope viewing. These events are offered throughout the year and are free to the public!
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