Astronomy Fact of the Day: January 31, 2024

January 31, 2024 Just after midnight tonight, the Moon rises in the east-southeast. The Moon exhibits a waning gibbous phase, and it appears very close to the bright blue star Spica. Spica is the brightest star in the constellation Virgo. The east-southeastern sky as it will look tonight at midnight. A waning gibbous moon appears… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: January 30, 2024

January 30, 2024 Tonight at 8 pm, the famous constellation Orion is found in the southeastern sky. Just beneath Orion is the lesser known constellation Lepus the Hare. Lepus is often depicted as a rabbit being chased by the nearby dog constellations of Canis Major and Canis Minor. The southeastern sky as it will look… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: January 29, 2024

January 29, 2024 On this day in 1959, Alan Shepard wrote a letter to his mother and father describing the possibility of his joining the “Man in Space” program. He states that he will be driving to Washington that afternoon for a briefing on the matter. He closes the letter by asking them to not… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: January 28, 2024

January 28, 2024 Although the moon’s orbit around Earth is nearly circular, it is an ellipse. This means that, although the average distance to the moon is 238,900 miles, the moon can be further or nearer to us. The furthest point in the Moon’s orbit is called apogee, where the nearest point is called perigee.… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: January 27, 2024

January 27, 2024 On this date in 1967, the crew of Apollo 1 — composed of Virgil I. Grissom, Ed-ward H. White II, and Roger B. Chaffee — was killed in a fire during equipment testing inside their capsule. The original mission wasn’t scheduled for launch until February 21, 1967. Astronauts (left to right) Gus… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: January 26, 2024

January 26, 2024 Tonight at 7 pm, the bright blue-white star Sirius will be visible in the southeast. Sirius is not only the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major, but the brightest star in the entire night sky. The southeastern sky as it will look at 7 pm tonight. The constellation Canis Major, or… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: January 25, 2024

January 25, 2024 Today marks the first full moon of the year. The Moon will rise tonight at approximately the same time the Sun sets. Likewise, the Moon will set at approximately sunrise tomorrow morning. The eastern sky as it will look tonight at 6:30 pm. The full moon appears low in the east-northeastern sky.… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: January 24, 2024

January 24, 2024 On this date in 1986, Voyager 2 successfully completed a flyby of Uranus at 9:59 PST where it came within 50,600 miles of the uppermost atmosphere. In addition to sending back images of Uranus and its moons, Voyager 2 used several scientific instruments to provide new data on the ring system, complex… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: January 23, 2024

January 23, 2024 On this date in 1965, the Department of Defense requested proposals for the design and development of the Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL).  The MOL program was intended as a manned reconnaissance satellite supporting national defense. However, the MOL program was canceled in June 1969 without any crewed missions being flown. A 1967… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: January 22, 2024

January 22, 2024 On this date in 2003, NASA received the last signal from Pioneer 10. This was the first space probe to explore beyond the asteroid belt, becoming the first mission to visit Jupiter. The Pioneer 10 mission was planned to last 21-months, however the spacecraft continued to operate for over 30 years. Artist… Continue reading