The sky above Chicago has a wonderful new story to tell. The Adler Planetarium has opened Stars Aligned: Tracing the Story of Astronomy and Astrology, its newest exhibition, inviting visitors to discover how humanity once read its hopes, health, and destiny in the stars.
This playful and thoughtful exhibition travels back to the early modern era, roughly 1500 to 1800, when astronomy and astrology were not rivals but partners. The same careful charts that guided scientific discovery also shaped how people understood time, fate, and everyday life. Rare instruments and beautiful historic books reveal the tools that made all of it possible.
Some surprises await along the way. Guests will learn how doctors once used astrological principles to treat patients, which famous astronomer kept a side hustle casting horoscopes, and how ordinary people wove astrology into their daily routines. Among the treasures on display is an exquisite Northern Indian astrological scroll from 1769, a handcrafted calendar of the heavens.
Best of all, the exhibition is included with museum entry and welcomes all ages, making it a perfect family outing or a fresh date-night idea. Whether you came for the science, the history, or just the wonder of it all, Stars Aligned is a bright new reason to look up in Chicago.
Photo: barbostick via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
