April 19, 2024 Today in 1971, the first space station Salyut-1 was launched. Soyuz 10 and 11 were the only missions that visited Salyut 1. The only cosmonauts to board Salyut 1 were those of Soyuz 11 who sadly perished when returning home due to an issue with their capsule. View of Salyut 1 seen… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: April 18, 2024
April 18, 2024 Comets are frozen remnants leftover from the formation of our solar system about 4.6 billion years ago. They are comprised of mostly ice and some rock and dust. The current number of known comets is around 3,910. The nucleus of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko imaged by the Rosetta spacecraft on Jan 31, 2015. Image… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: April 17, 2024
April 17, 2024 Today in 1970, the Apollo 13 mission safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean. Their mission to land on the Moon was aborted after the No. 2 tank carrying liquid oxygen burst. On April 17, 1970, Apollo 13 safely return to Earth splashing down in the South Pacific. Image credit: NASA, Johnson… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: April 16, 2024
April 16, 2024 Asteroids are rocky remnants left over from the formation of the solar system about 4.6 billion years ago. To date, the known asteroid count is up to 1,351,400. Most of these are found in orbits between the planets Mars and Jupiter. Mosaic of asteroid Bennu made by NASA’s OSIRIS-Rex spacecraft. The OSIRIS-Rex… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: April 15, 2024
April 15, 2024 First quarter moon occurs today at 2:13 pm. You can look for the Moon in the south as the Sun sets. First quarter moon as it will appear on April 15, 2024. The best views of the lunar surface are found near the terminator. This is the line that appears to separate… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: April 14, 2024
April 14, 2024 Today in 1981, the space shuttle Columbia landed at Edward’s Airforce Base in southern California completing the STS-1 mission. Onboard were astronauts John W. Young and Robert L. Crippen. This was the first of 135 missions completed by NASA’s space shuttle program. The space shuttle orbiter Columbia landing at Edwards Airforce Base… Continue reading
Night Sky Update: April 13, 2024
This is the Saint Louis Science Center’s NIGHT SKY UPDATE for the week of Saturday, April 13, 2024. Information updated weekly or as needed. Times given as local St. Louis time this week will be in Central Daylight Time (CDT). For definitions of terminology used in the night sky update, click the highlighted text. If… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: April 13, 2024
April 13, 2024 A star that is gaining attention this year is the variable star T Coronae Borealis. This is a recurring nova star that suddenly increases in brightness, becoming visible to the unaided eye every 80 years or so. It is impossible to predict the exact date, however scientists believe it is likely to… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: April 12, 2024
April 12, 2024 Today in 1961, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to enter space and orbit Earth. The Vostok 1 mission would last just 108 minutes. Launch of Vostok 1 on April 12, 1961. Image credit NASA. On right is Yuri Gagarin aboard Vostok 1 televised to ground control. Image credit: Soviet Space… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: March 31, 2024
March 31, 2024 On this date in 1966, the unmanned Soviet lunar probe Luna 10, was launched toward the Moon from an Earth-orbiting platform. It later entered lunar orbit for 460 lunar orbits and 219 active data transmissions before radio signals were discontinued on May 30, 1966. Model of the Luna 10 spacecraft seen at… Continue reading