“Astronomy Conversations & Guided Tours of the Universe: A Partnership Between
University of Chicago & Adler Planetarium”
Randall H. Landsberg
Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics
5640 South Ellis Ave.
Chicago, IL 60637
Email: randy@oddjob.uchicago.edu
Abstract: This program brings research scientists and their data into a format and setting
where the public can share in the excitement of discovery. Learn how Chicago researchers
are using multimedia technology (e.g., 3D displays and ultra high-resolution tile displays) at
the Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum’s Space Visualization Lab (SVL) to interactively
explore forefront research with small groups, and how this might be extended to your home
institution.
Astronomy Conversations Overview
Astronomy Conversations are an attempt to make current astrophysical and
cosmological research accessible and exciting. This is done by bringing researchers to
a location where the public can be found, the Adler Planetarium and Astronomy
Museum; and by using visual tools to make complex and evolving research something
that can be easily experienced by all museum visitors. The heart of Astronomy
Conversations is an ongoing collaboration between the KICP and the Adler. Hallmarks of
this program include the use of real data, providing virtual visits to remote observatory
sites (e.g., the South Pole), and involving active researchers in dialogues with the public.
Program Goals
 To Use Viz Tools to Make Science Accessible to the Public
 To Present Current Research to the Public @ Adler & Beyond
 To Improve Researcher Communications Skills
 To Expand Broadly Disseminate these Efforts via Other Media (e.g., digital
domes, undergraduate instruction and Web 2.0 applications)
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Academic Partner - Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics (KICP)
The Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics is a National Science Foundation, Physics
Frontier Center, and as a result of the support of the Kavli Foundation a permanently
endowed institute at the University of Chicago (see http://kicp.uchicago.edu). KICP is
primarily a research institution dedicated to answering fundamental questions about the
nature and evolution of the universe. In addition to its research mission, KICP supports
a wide range of education and outreach efforts that seek to bring current science and an
understanding of the process of science to the public and to enrich the scientific
community via diversity. The majority of resources and efforts are concentrated in three
Signature Programs:
 Space Explorers – a multi-year commitment to inner-city middle and high school
students
 Cosmology Short Courses – three day intensive short courses for formal and
informal educators
 Museum Partnerships – a variety of programming in collaboration with
museums and planetaria that seek to increase public interest and excitement in
current research science
The Astronomy Conversations program fits under the umbrella of the Museum
Partnerships program which emphasizes the use of electronic media. For more
information
on
KICP’s
Education
&
Outreach
programs
see:
http://kicp.uchicago.edu/education .
Museum Partner/Venue Adler Planetarium Space Visualization Lab (SVL)
The Adler Planetarium is world renown as a planetarium, it is less famous for, but
equally impressive as an astronomy museum/science center. A spectacular recent
addition to the museum is the Space Visualization Lab (SVL). The Space Visualization
Lab (SVL) is both a working laboratory and a gallery for the public. This combination
makes it uniquely suited for collaborating with research scientists on ways to present
current science to the public. The SVL is outfitted with impressive hardware,
accompanying software, and most importantly expert staff who understand the science,
the scientists, how to visualize science and museum visitors. The KICP Astronomy
Conversations take place in this incredible multimedia laboratory. See
http://www.adlerplanetarium.org/svl/
SVL Tools Currently Include:
 Ultra High Resolution Tiled Display (3x5 monitors)
 Stereoscopic (3D) Displays – Wall & Auto-Stereoscopic
 Collaborative Devices
 Immersive Displays (e.g., large field of view)
Astronomy Conversations Background
The key to this program is a strong longstanding and productive partnership between the
Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum and the KICP. Adler and KICP collaborate
on all types of projects from exhibits to short courses to science workshops to full dome
productions. The Astronomy Conversations program is a natural extension of this and
other earlier work.
The roots of the Astronomy Conversations program stretch back many years and
precede both KICP and the SVL itself. Earlier efforts include South Pole travel logs
(e.g., http://astro.uchicago.edu/cara/southpole.edu/); remote connections/distance
learning (Landsberg 1998), 3D/side-by-side stereo photography and the ground breaking
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visualization efforts of the Cosmus group see http://astro.uchicago.edu/cosmus/
(Landsberg 2005, 2004a, 2004b & Andrews 2004). Astronomy Conversations builds on
this longstanding interest in allowing the public to experience cutting edge research: both
the environment where the research is done (especially exotic ones) and the results of
such research. Only recently has technology advanced and become affordable enough
to make immersing the public in research data and research environments truly feasible.
It is important to note that technology capable of immersing visitors in current research is
now truly accessible and affordable for all size institutions. A visualization lab enhances
the visitor experience but impressive results can be had with very basic equipment e.g.,
computer and a monitor or projector. In addition to the technology, two other factors
have aligned to amplify this inaugural year of Astronomy Conversations:
 International Year of Astronomy (IYA) 2009 400th Anniversary of the Telescope
 Science Chicago – a year-long city-wide science festival (see
http://sciencechicago.com/)
The Astronomy Conversations Program
Dialogues between researchers and the museum visitors that utilize visual resources to
engage the public in current research topics form the core of this program. These
conversations typically last between 20 minutes and a half hour. They take place at
designated times when the SVL is open as a gallery, typically 2-3PM. They are not
ticked events, but due to the size of the space they are limited to small groups of 30 or
less. The audience is fluid as visitors may choose to join or leave the conversation at
any time and consequently the presenter must adapt to changing conditions vs. giving a
prepared lecture.
The presenters are astronomers, astrophysicists and cosmologists recruited from the
KICP and the broader Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics at the University of
Chicago. Currently twenty-one (21) individuals have volunteered and they are a mix of
senior people, post-docs and graduate students. The KICP supports associated
volunteer costs for this program such as transportation/parking. Both Adler and KICP
help to prepare the volunteers. Training includes standard Adler volunteer training, as
well as specialize training for the SVL and one-on-one consultations. Scheduling is
done via a wiki where volunteers can select times that best fit their schedules.
Additionally, quarterly sessions are organized to work with the volunteers as a collective
group. These sociable events typically coincide with the Adler’s Far Out Friday
programming and involve a presentation by one of the volunteers to his/her peers.
Volunteers are encouraged to present on a broad range of topics and to think not only of
their expertise but also of what the public would find interesting.
Current Astronomy Conversation Topics
 Accelerating Expansion of the Universe Dark Energy
 Building a Telescope @ the South Pole
 Milky Way 101
 Distances & Scales + Recent Advances in Determining Distances to Neutral Gas
Clouds
 Large Scale Structure (LSS) & Galaxy Clusters with a Flight Thru the Sloan
Digital Sky Survey (SDSS)
 Afterlives of Massive Stars
 South Pole Telescope Overview
 High Energy Messenger Particles from Space
 Traveling to South Pole
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
Evolving Universe - Galactic Cannibalism etc.
Special Tours of the Universe
In conjunction with Science Chicago’s Science Saturday Program, KICP has organized
special tours of the universe. These tours will be extended Astronomy Conversations
that last approximately two hours. They will be ticketed events that provide participants
with a behind the scenes view of modern research. Guided Tours of the Universe
include:
 Jan 17 “Big Questions/Big Glass” Chen & Gladders
 Jan 17 “Viewing the Universe from the Bottom of the World” Pryke
 April 18 “South Pole Telescope (SPT)” Carlstrom & Meyer
Additionally, KICP will participate in the Adler’s So You Want to Be an Astronomer Day
on February 21, 2009. KICP representatives will include Paolo Privitera who will talk
about the Pierre Auger Observatory. (http://www.auger.org/)
Other Outlets & How Your Institution Can Participate
The overarching goal of the Astronomy Conversations program is share the excitement
of current research.
An underlying goal of the program is to improve the
communications skills of those involved. The feedback offered by live audiences will
help to hone presentations skills, and it will also help people to hone their stories and to
assess what is and isn’t important/interesting to the public. Once narrative arcs have
been refined by in situ formative evaluation at the SVL, the plan is to broadly
disseminate these science stories. Potential outlets range from simply posting
PowerPoint versions on the web, to podcasts, to video podcasts, to creating HD videos,
to authoring narrated tours in World Wide Telescope, to creating KML programmed
experiences in Google Sky, to presenting at other institutions, to full dome visualizations.
The exact ways that the Astronomy Conversations will be published is uncertain, as
there are many different types of research stories being told. Regardless of the format, a
goal of the program is disseminate this content as broadly as possible; and so every
effort will be made to share it. Two ways that planetaria and museums can participate
are 1) to let the KICP know of your interest (note: current plans are to post Astronomy
Conversations and other multimedia content on the KICP website), and 2) to attend the
next KICP Cosmology Short Course where adapted Astronomy Conversations will be.
The Astronomy Conversations program directly connects forefront research and
researchers with the broader public. Although Adler has an exceptional visualization lab
and the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics (KICP) has a large stock of research
scientists, most any institution has the raw ingredients on hand to attempt a similar
program. Scientists can travel and there is currently a wealth of data, visuals and
software applications (e.g., World Wide Telescope and Google Sky) available on the
web. So join us in Chicago for an Astronomy Conversation or start your own.
Citations
Landsberg, R.H. ``The Visualization of Astrophysical Data: Bringing Together Science,
Art, & Education", 2005 Proceedings of the GLPA.
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Landsberg R.H. ``3D Visualizations for Public Explorations of Current Astrophysical
Research", High Energy Physics Seminar, Michigan State University,10/19/04.
S. Andrews et. al. “Cosmus: Virtual 3D Cosmology in Public Science Museums at the
VR for Public Consumption Workshop of IEEE VR2004 Conference (Chicago, IL) March
2004.
R. Landsberg et al. ``3D Visualizations of Current Astrophysical Research for Public
Explorations & for the Classroom", Gadgets & Gizmos Session of the 205th Meeting of
the American Astronomical Society, BAAS Vol36, 2004.
Landsberg, R.H. 1998, ``Education and Outreach from the End of the Earth'', BAAS, 30,
903 [58.01]
Acknowledgments
Parts of this research were carried out at the University of Chicago, Kavli Institute for
Cosmological Physics, a NSF Physics Frontier Center, and were supported (in part) by
grant NSF PHY-0114422 and by the Kavli Foundation; additional support was provided
by the University of Chicago’s Science Chicago program.
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