This is the Saint Louis Science Center’s NIGHT SKY UPDATE for the week of Friday, April 30, 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
After the Sun, the best-known star in the sky is Polaris. For another 1000 years, Polaris will be the North Star. Long famous for helping determine the cardinal directions, Polaris’s altitude also informs your latitude in the northern hemisphere. From St. Louis, Polaris is 38.6° above the horizon which is also our latitude.
On this date in 1985, Space Shuttle Flight 51-B (Challenger) launched into orbit. Its seven crew members then carried out experiments in 12-hour shifts aboard Spacelab 3 in Challenger’s payload bay.
With over 300 pages of articles, photographs, illustrations, renderings, and advertisements, the Motor Annual Show Number was the premier automotive magazine each year in the early 20th century. Nearly every car manufacturer at the time advertised in these magazines showcasing the newest automobile models on the market. The full color cover illustrates the popularity of… Continue reading
Cirrus clouds this time of year often precede thunderstorms. When near full moon, you will sometimes see a ring around the moon as reflected sunlight is refracted through 6-sided ice crystals in these clouds. These rings are a type of atmospheric optic called halos.
In 1972 on this date, Apollo 16, carrying astronauts John W. Young, Thomas K. Mattingly II, and Charles M. Duke Jr., safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean.
Full moon occurs today at 10:32 pm. Tomorrow the Moon will reach perigee which is when the Moon is nearest the Earth. Often April’s full moon is known as the Full Pink Moon.
On this date in 1961, Mercury MA-3, carrying a ‘mechanical astronaut,’ was launched in a failed attempt to orbit the spacecraft. The spacecraft was successfully recovered and was shipped back to McDonnell Aircraft for refitting.
Rising in the southeast at midnight is the bright red super giant star Antares. This is the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius the Scorpion which is a sign that summer is approaching.
This is the Saint Louis Science Center’s NIGHT SKY UPDATE for the week of Friday, April 23, 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
