ST. LOUIS, MO – May 16, 2024 Saint Louis Science Center’s Annual Award Recognizes Excellence in Teaching Science and Mathematics The Saint Louis Science Center shared today that Elisabeth Greenwood, a teacher at Belleville West High School, is the 2024 recipient of the Carol B. and Jerome T. Loeb Prize for Excellence in Teaching Science… Continue reading
May 16, 2024 The gas giants in our solar system are Jupiter and Saturn. They were likely the first planets to form in our solar system. They are made of mostly hydrogen and helium. Artist’s rendition of the of the gas giant planet 51 Peg b. Gas giants are the second most common type of… Continue reading
May 15, 2024 First quarter moon occurred today at 6:48 am. Once the Sun sets today you can find the Moon in the south with roughly 55% of the lunar disk illuminated. By the time of sunset, the Moon is exhibiting a waxing gibbous phase. The Moon as it will appear after sunset tonight. Image… Continue reading
Straitjacket – Date unknown Did you know that the straitjacket was invented as early as the 18th century in France? It was intended to prevent people with mental disorders from hurting themselves or others, and as a tool of restraint to help a patient regain self-control. Believe it or not, straitjackets were considered humane, supposedly… Continue reading
May 14, 2024 Mercury reaches dichotomy today. This is when about 50% of Mercury’s disk is illuminated by the Sun if viewed through a telescope. This same thing happens to the Moon twice during its synodic cycle. We see 50% of the Lunar disk illuminated when it is at first and last quarter phase. Mercury… Continue reading
May 13, 2024 Mercury is the smallest planet in our solar system. To date the smallest known planet is Kepler 37b. It is a little larger than Earth’s Moon. Artist’s rendition of what Kepler 37b might look like. This planet is slightly smaller than Mercury. It is part of a planetary system that may contain… Continue reading
This is the Saint Louis Science Center’s NIGHT SKY UPDATE for the week of Saturday, May 11, 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
May 12, 2024 The largest planet in our solar system is Jupiter at 11 times the size of Earth. The largest planet in the known universe is called ROXs 42 Bb. It is about 1.12 times larger than Jupiter, but it has roughly 9 times the mass. The exoplanet ROXs 42 Bb was discovered through… Continue reading
May 11, 2024 The space shuttle mission STS-125 launched today in 2009. This was the last servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope. The Hubble Space Telescope seen in the cargo bay of the Space Shuttle Atlantis during its last servicing mission. Image credit: NASA.
May 10, 2024 Looking west tonight after sunset, you will find a thin crescent moon above the horizon. The Moon will have a disk illumination of 7% tonight so you should also see earthshine. This phenomenon is caused by sunlight reflecting off Earth illuminating the night portions of the lunar surface facing Earth. When the… Continue reading
