Did you know that the wolverine is a member of the weasel family? That’s right, this ferocious meat-eater is the largest land-dwelling species of this family that also includes polecats, badgers, martens, and otters. Wolverines live in arctic and subarctic regions such as northern Canada and Alaska, where this specimen was collected. Connect with curiosity!
September 22, 2021 The 2021 fall equinox occurs today at 2:14 pm. This occurs when the Sun crosses Earth’s celestial equator at its descending node. After today, the Sun will appear lower in the sky each day until the winter solstice on December 21, 2021. Earth seen during the autumnal equinox by the GOES East… Continue reading
September 21, 2021 Today in 1974, the Mariner 10 probe made its second flyby of the planet Mercury. Mariner 10 was the first spacecraft sent to study Mercury and the first mission to explore two planets (Mercury and Venus). More information about NASA’s Mariner 10 mission and its findings about Mercury may be found here.… Continue reading
September 20, 2021 Full moon for September occurs today at 6:55 pm. You can find the Moon rising in the east as the Sun sets in the west. September’s full moon is the nearest to the autumnal equinox, which means it is the Harvest Moon for 2021. Harvest Moons are the full moon nearest the… Continue reading
September 19, 2021 Today in 1961, NASA announced that location of the new ‘Manned Spacecraft Center’ would be in Houston, Texas. This was the conclusion of an intensive nationwide study by a site selection team. The Manned Spacecraft Center would be the command center for the Apollo lunar-landing missions and all future human spaceflight missions.… Continue reading
September 18, 2021 Tonight at 7:30 pm, three planets will be visible to the unaided eye. In the west, you will find Venus. In the southeast, you will find Jupiter and Saturn. By the end of the year, all three planets will be visible in the southwest after sunset. The Moon, Jupiter, Saturn and Venus… Continue reading
This is the Saint Louis Science Center’s NIGHT SKY UPDATE for the week of Friday, September 17, 2021. Information updated weekly or as needed. Times given as local St. Louis time, which is Central Daylight Time (CDT). For definitions of terminology used in the night sky update, click the highlighted text. If relying on times… Continue reading
September 17, 2021 Today in 1976, NASA publicly unveiled the first Space Shuttle prototype during a ceremony in Palmdale, California. Originally to be named Space Shuttle Constitution, the orbiter took the namesake of the famed Star Trek starship USS Enterprise, after President Ford reportedly received thousands of petition signatures from avid Star Trek fans across… Continue reading
September 16, 2021 On this date in 1989, Space Shuttle Atlantis began it STS-79 mission docking with the Russian space station Mir. This was the 79th Space Shuttle mission and the 17th flight of Space Shuttle Atlantis. Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-79 and view of the Russian space station Mir as Atlantis was undocking.… Continue reading
Did you know that the world’s first dental school was founded in 1840? However, until after the Civil War, most people sought dental care from their physicians or tried self-care because established dental offices were few and far between. As dental practitioners became more commonplace and professionalized, special dental tool sets like this one were… Continue reading
