Chicago, IL

Cernan Earth and Space Center in Chicago

Address: 2000 Fifth Ave., River Grove, IL 60171 - MAP
Phone: (708) 456-0300, Ext. 3372
Web: www.triton.edu

The Cernan Earth and Space Center is located in the Chicago suburb of River Grove, on the Triton College campus. The center is named for the last astronaut to step foot on the moon to date, Eugene Cernan.

The center's planetarium boasts a 44-foot-diameter dome theater with a state-of-the-art projection and sound system. The 100-seat theater hosts the planetarium shows along with wraparound films, children's shows, educational programs and laser light shows. Programs showcase the current night sky, the planets of the solar system, Earth's climate, space shuttle imagery and the age of dinosaurs.

The Cernan Space Center offers exhibits to further explain space exploration, facts about our Earth, the solar system and much more. Some of the exhibits feature items like a diorama of the Apollo/Mars landscape, Eugene Cernan's Apollo 10 space suit, Apollo artifacts, spacecraft models, the Doppler Weather Radar, a dinosaur footprint, fossils and a Copernicus manuscript - just to name a few.