Have you ever been on the main floor of a museum, observatory, or planetarium and thought, “I wonder what goes on behind those doors?” Well, with this new DVD, you can finally get your own private tour through four of the finest scientific facilities that the Chicago area has to offer. And, perhaps most importantly, you can do it all from the comfort of your own couch.
In Astronomy Backstage Pass: Chicago, you’ll tag along with Astronomy magazine editors Dave Eicher and Michael Bakich as they guide you on your own three-hour, behind-the-scenes tour through: Adler Planetarium, The Field Museum of Natural History, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab), and, of course, the historic Yerkes Observatory.
At each location, your knowledgeable tour guides will introduce you to the passionate scientists, lecturers, and curators that form the backbones of these amazing establishments. During your virtual journey, you’ll also peruse equipment, books, and artifacts that are not accessible to the general public, providing you with unique insights into the past (and future) of each historic institution.
*At Adler Planetarium, you’ll experience the first planetarium in the Western Hemisphere. You’ll see highlights from Adler’s collection of ancient astronomical instruments and rare books like those signed by Johannes Kepler and William Herschel.
*Explore the Field Museum, with its rare meteorites and minerals that illuminate how we view the early solar system. And tour one of the finest gem collections anywhere.
*Discover the incredible science happening at Fermilab, where miles of underground instruments are being put to the test as neutrino detectors in a race to discover the properties of elementary particles and dark matter.
*Cherish the world’s largest refracting telescope at Yerkes Observatory, along with a rich history that includes numerous artifacts of George Hale, Edward E. Barnard, Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, and many others.
Approximate running time: 3 hours