February 10, 2023 Tonight at 7:30pm you will find the constellation Orion due south. Northeast of Orion are two bright stars named Castor and Pollux. These two stars mark the heads of the Twins of Gemini. Pollux is known to have a planet and Castor is not one but six stars together. The sky southern… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: February 9, 2023
February 9, 2023 On this date in 1971, Apollo 14 safely returned from the Moon. The Command Module Kitty Hawk splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, about 7 kilometers from the recovery ship USS New Orleans. The Apollo 14 Command Module – Kitty Hawk – returning to Earth by way of its 3 parachutes. Image… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: February 8, 2023
February 8, 2023 On this date in 1974, astronauts aboard Skylab 4 returned to Earth after an 84-day mission. The crew included astronauts Carr, Gibson, and Pogue. To mark their return trip, on their last morning in space, they were awoken to the song “Goin’ Back to Houston” by Dean Martin. The Skylab 4 crew… Continue reading
Color Lithograph
Color Lithograph – NASA, 2016 In honor of Black History Month, we are highlighting artifacts like this lithograph produced by NASA featuring women of color in aviation and space history. Portraits of these women pioneers and innovators who have been, or are currently, in the fields of aeronautics and astronautics illustrate the important roles these… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: February 7, 2023
February 7, 2023 For the next two weeks, northern hemisphere viewers have a chance to see the zodiacal light in the west after evening twilight. The zodiacal light is a wedge-shaped diffuse light that points up from the horizon. This light display is caused by sunlight reflecting off dust in the solar system. Recent studies… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: February 6, 2023
February 6, 2023 On this date in 1971, Apollo 13 astronaut, Alan Shepard, became the first person to hit a golf ball on the Moon. He used a 6-iron head attached to a lunar sampling tool. He hit two golf balls, the second of which went “miles and miles” according to Shepard. Later imagery analysis… Continue reading
Night Sky Update: February 3 – 11, 2023
This is the Saint Louis Science Center’s NIGHT SKY UPDATE for the week of Friday, February 3, 2023. Information updated weekly or as needed. Times given as local St. Louis time which is Central Standard Time (CST). For definitions of terminology used in the night sky update, click the highlighted text. If relying on times… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: February 5, 2023
February 5, 2023 A full moon occurs today at 12:28 pm CST. As the Moon is at apogee – the farthest point from Earth in its orbit, the Moon will be slightly smaller in appearance than average. The apparent difference in size will be undetectable to the human eye; however, this will be the smallest… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: February 4, 2023
February 4, 2023 Tonight at 7:30 pm CST, it is possible to find the Moon, Mars, and Jupiter in the sky. The Moon will be visible to the east in the constellation Cancer, Mars is found to the south in Taurus, and Jupiter will be visible to the west-southwest in Pisces. Although the Moon will… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: February 3, 2023
February 3, 2023 On this date in 1966, the uncrewed Soviet probe Luna 9 became the first man-made object to make a soft landing on the Moon. Although the images taken by Luna 9 were not immediately released by the Soviet Union, British astronomers used standard radiofax technology of the time to intercept the image… Continue reading