Cultural Appreciation, Week II [Wednesday, Periods 4 & 5]

[atreideslioness]

Students met at the Causeway today, and Ghanima waited until everyone had arrived before speaking. She was dressed in jeans and a plain blouse, and true to her word of last week, wore dark sunglasses to hide her eyes of the ibad.

"The Adler Planetarium — America's First Planetarium — was founded in 1930 by Chicago business leader Max Adler," she began. "The museum is home to three full-size theaters, extensive space science exhibitions, and one of the world's most important antique astronomical instrument collections on display."

"The planetarium is built on what once was an artificial island on Lake Michigan. Northerly Island, as it is called, was the first of what was to be a series of artificial islands stretching south. The permanent land link was constructed soon after the planetarium was built. Each of the twelve corners of the landmark 1930s building is decorated by a bronze plaque, which represents a sign of the zodiac, and the dedication plaque located in the Adler's Rainbow Lobby depicts the gods and goddesses for which the planets are named. Pluto is missing because it was not discovered until February 18, 1930, after the plaque was created. Ironic, almost, given that Pluto is not currently considered a planet anymore, so the plaque is once again correct."

"Through the portal, now. We have two hours to explore."

[OOC: Wait for the astral OCD has liftoff!]

Comments

Sign-In II

[atreideslioness]

Starstuck!

Re: Sign-In II

[wwiii]

Warren Worthington III

During the Lecture

[atreideslioness]

Jot down a few notes or poke your friends before hopping through the portal!

Re: During the Lecture

[wwiii]

Ah, sigh. It was back into the harness and the long, heavy coats for Warren for this semester.

... Which, really, he couldn't complain about, because these were all of the things he'd never really been able to do while growing up, coat or none. Which was why he was grinning, in spite of the cramping, while he listened to Ghanima's lecture.

Re: During the Lecture

[nohaircutsplz]

Medusalith was experimenting with hiding the length of her hair inside her shirt. She thought it would work quite well as long as none of her classmates asked where the rest of it was, as she wasn't sure how to explain that she'd wound it around her torso and yes, it was just staying there.

Re: During the Lecture

[swordsandsoccer.livejournal.com]

A trip!

Dolf couldn't help but be a little excited, despite everything. He'd never been to America before: his parents had always stuck to trips around Europe.

It was his first chance to see something new out here. He might have been grinning.

Re: During the Lecture

[notlikejack.livejournal.com]

Bobby was trying - and failing - to keep from visibly vibrating with excitement at this trip. For one, they were somehow going to Chicago just by stepping off the Causeway and for the other, they were going there for the Adler Planetarium which his mom had promised they'd go see next summer.

Re: During the Lecture

[trigons_child]

Raven was always anxious about leaving the island, but she was among friends and her shields were strong, so there was nothing to worry about, right?

Re: During the Lecture

[notlikebobby.livejournal.com]

This past weekend there'd been the hands. Jack managed that okay. He'd freaked out and there had been slapsies going on behind the closed door of his bedroom, but he'd managed that okay.

Now they were going to Chicago by stepping through a portal and it was to a planetarium.

Jack chose to focus on pointedly ignoring Bobby rather than trying to wrap his head around the portal thing.

Re: During the Lecture

[notlikebobby.livejournal.com]

This past weekend there'd been the hands. Jack managed that okay. He'd freaked out and there had been slapsies going on behind the closed door of his bedroom, but he'd managed that okay.

Now they were going to Chicago by stepping through a portal and it was to a planetarium.

Jack chose to focus on pointedly ignoring Bobby rather than trying to wrap his head around the portal thing.

Re: During the Lecture

[mathletenomore.livejournal.com]

Lindsay had actually been to this planetarium during a family trip to Chicago when she was about twelve. Of course that had been over thirty years ago, so she was curious to see the changes. Surely there were technological advances since then.

Re: During the Lecture

[boho-to-be.livejournal.com]

A planetarium! Christian had never even heard of such a thing. He was excited as he waited for the portal -- between this and the mountain in science class, today was turning out to be quite an adventuresome day.

Re: During the Lecture

[nothornlessrose.livejournal.com]

Cassidy wasn't nervous at all about leaving the island, really.

However, she was excited to be going to see museums and stars that were important to this world.

She was careful to shield herself, though. She wasn't going to take chances.

Re: During the Lecture

[theotherpeter.livejournal.com]

"Oh great, going through a portal to a place that will have giant amounts of water," Peter snarked, mostly to himself.

Re: During the Lecture

[azuldragon.livejournal.com]

Azula was looking forward to this trip, one of the scientists in the Fire Nation spoke about these stars that were not stars. She had listened whenever she visited the scientist's lab but never let on how interested she was in it. Now this was a perfect opportunity to really see these planets.

Re: During the Lecture

[she-sheds.livejournal.com]

Joolushko might have passed for human (much to her dismay) at first glance but had opted for a hat to hide her face and an outfit more in keeping with what her classmates tended to wear than with her usual clothing choices.

She was looking forward to this excursion and didn't want to jeopardize it unnecessarily.

Today's Trip

[atreideslioness]

At the Adler Planetarium. You may explore by yourself or in groups, but be back in two hours for the portal or Ghanima will come find you.

Today's Trip: The Instrument Collection

[atreideslioness]

The Adler's Scientific Instrument Collection contains over 2000 instruments and models from the 12th through the 20th centuries. The Adler's collections are housed in the Webster Institute for the History of Astronomy and contain a number of armillary spheres, astrolabes, navigational instruments, orreries, and much more.

Today's Trip: Papers

[atreideslioness]

The Adler also has a number of books and papers for the public to study.

The Rare Book Collection contains over 3000 volumes, including over a dozen incunabula (books printed before 1500). The rare books cover a wide range of topics about the history of astronomy and scientific instruments. This collection includes all of the most important historical celestial atlases, as well as many other atlases. It also contains a large number of books on comets, early works on instruments, and astronomical and cosmological texts and tables. Other works include treatises on mathematics and its practical applications, works on optics, physics, astrology, geography, and navigation, and early encyclopedias and dictionaries.

The Works on Paper Collection contains about 650 individual maps, prints, and book plates featuring astronomical illustrations. Strengths of this collection include comet and eclipse broadsides, portrait prints, and celestial charts.

Today's Trip: The Exhibitions

[atreideslioness]

The Adler’s Galaxy Wall is the largest, most complete view of our galaxy — the Milky Way — ever made.

Telescopes: Through the Looking Glass presents the technology used to gather information about the Universe. Featuring some of the world's most important telescopes and one-of-a-kind hands-on interactives, the exhibition explores the extraordinary beauty and technology of these amazing instruments and the objects they enable us to discover.

Shoot for the Moon This permanent exhibition highlights the exciting stories of space exploration and America's bold plans to return to the Moon. The exhibition begins with A Journey with Jim Lovell, featuring the fully-restored Gemini 12 spacecraft and the Lovell Collection of personal space artifacts. In Mission: Moon, young visitors discover the thrills and dangers of being an explorer and imagine their own futures in space.

CyberSpace features computer-based interactive exhibitions, VisionStations providing realistic immersive experiences of the Universe, and up-to-date information on current astronomy.

Our Solar System is much more than a star and eight planets. Explore the many worlds — planets, moons, dwarf planets, comets, and asteroids — that orbit the Sun. Drive a rover that's examining the surface of Mars or shoot projectiles into a soft surface to size up the craters they leave behind.

Universe in your Hands. Learn about a time in history when people believed that the Earth was the center of the Universe. The exhibit features spectacular astrolabes, armillary spheres, and sundials to illustrate the medieval European and Middle Eastern conception of the Universe.

Today's Trip: Other Stuff!

[atreideslioness]

There's a number of shows you can see and other activites too!

Talk to the TA

[atreideslioness]

Once she tags in!

Re: Talk to the TA

[trigons_child]

Said TA was totally channeling her mun and drooling over the links available, if you could tear her attention away from the exhibits.

Talk to Ghanima

[atreideslioness]

She's circulating around the planetarium.

OOC

[atreideslioness]

Inspired by trigons_child posting this on Google Reader.

Re: OOC

[trigons_child]

Astronomy porn! *joygasms*