August 24, 2022 On this date in 1960, McDonnell Aircraft proposed a One-Man Space Station to the Space Task Group at NASA facilities. The idea behind this station was to build a 10-ft long, 6-ft wide cylinder that could attach to the Mercury spacecraft. The station was only intended to be inhabited for 14 days… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: August 23, 2022
August 23, 2022 You can look towards the center of the Milky Way Galaxy by looking south tonight at 9 pm. Just find the “teapot” group of stars in the constellation Sagittarius. The galaxy’s center is just above the spout of the teapot. With extremely dark skies it is possible to see the central plane… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: August 22, 2022
August 22, 2022 The Moon reaches apogee today at 251,915 mi (405,418 km) from Earth. This is when it is at its greatest distance from Earth. When the moon passes in front of the Sun near apogee, an annular solar eclipse occurs. The next annular eclipse visible from the US occurs on October 14, 2023.… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: August 21, 2022
August 21, 2022 On this date in 2017, a total solar eclipse was visible in a path that spanned the continental U.S. and was often referred to as the “Great American Eclipse”. The longest period of totality was 2 minutes 41 seconds at a park near Carbondale Illinois. On April 8, 2024, another total solar… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: August 20, 2022
August 20, 2022 On this date in 1977, Voyager 2 launched from Cape Canaveral. Voyager 2 launched 16 days before the twin spacecraft Voyager 1. Voyager 2 is one of only a handful of artificial objects that have left the solar system. This photo, taken on August 2, 1977, shows the Voyager 2 spacecraft prior… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: August 19, 2022
August 19, 2022 At 5 am this morning, it was possible to see the Moon very near to Mars in the constellation of Taurus the Bull. The Moon and Mars will both still appear in Taurus tomorrow morning at approximately 5 am. Mars and the bright red star Aldebaran may appear similar; however, Aldebaran appears… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: August 18, 2022
August 18, 2022 The к-Cygnid meteor shower peaked in the predawn hours of this morning. This shower is active from August 3 to August 25; however, due to the current orientation of the radiant, the best time to observe is approximately 10 pm tonight. This meteor shower isn’t a particularly prolific event, with a peak… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: August 17, 2022
August 17, 2022 On this date in 1877, American astronomer Asaph Hall discovered one of the two moons of Mars, which he named Phobos. In mythology, Phobos is one of the sons of Ares, the Greek counterpart to the Roman god of war, Mars. Only five days prior, on August 12, 1877, Hall had discovered… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: August 16, 2022
August 16, 2022 Last month the first images from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) were released. Rather than imaging space in visible light, the JWST captures data using infrared light. The longer wave lengths of infrared light pass through dense clouds of gas that typically block visible light. In this way the JWST is… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: August 15, 2022
August 15, 2022 Tonight at 11 pm it is possible to see the Moon and Jupiter close together in the eastern sky. With a telescope, it will be possible to see the shadows of Jupiter’s moons Ganymede and Io passing across the atmosphere of the gas giant. This double transit will begin at approximately 11… Continue reading