November 25, 2022 Tonight at about 9 pm, the Moon reaches perigee – the closest point from Earth in its orbit. At this point, the moon is approximately 225,449 miles (362,826 km) away. Although the moon is closer than its average distance of 238,900 miles (384,472 km), the visual difference is minimal, and often cannot… Continue reading
Fossil Skull
Fossil Skull Collected from South Dakota This skull belonged to an oreodont, an extinct North American herbivore that lived during the MiddleEocene through the end of the Miocene epoch-between roughly 40 million and 5.3 million years ago. They looked like a mix between a sheep, a camel, and a pig. They had short faces, fang-like… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: November 24, 2022
November 24, 2022 This evening starting at approximately 8 pm, it will be possible to find a trio of bright red objects in the eastern sky. The red stars Aldebaran and Betelgeuse along with the planet Mars create a large triangle. Mars will appear as the brightest of the three objects and will be the… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: November 23, 2022
November 23, 2022 Looking at the moon with binoculars will reveal numerous impact craters. These were caused by objects striking the moon’s surface. This also happens to the Earth, but due to weathering processes and plate tectonics we do not see as many craters. The best-preserved impact crater on Earth is Barringer Crater, also known… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: November 22, 2022
November 22, 2022 Tonight at 8 pm, it is possible to find Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn stretching from the eastern to the southwestern sky respectively. Mars will be visible to the east between the two stars marking the horns of Taurus the Bull. Jupiter will be found high to the south in Pisces the Fish.… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: November 21, 2022
November 21, 2022 On this date in 1783, the first free flight carrying a human occurred in Paris, France in a hot air balloon made of paper and silk. The balloon carried two men, Jean François Pilâtre de Rozier and the Marquis Francois Laurent d’Arlandes, to an altitude of at least 500 feet and traveled… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: November 20, 2022
November 20, 2022 Tomorrow morning the Sun rises at 6:49 am. A very thin waning crescent moon will be visible before sunrise around 5 am. The Moon, which is 3 days away from new moon, can be found to the East near the bright star Spica. The thin waning crescent moon as it will appear… Continue reading
Night Sky Update: November 18 – November 26, 2022
This is the Saint Louis Science Center’s NIGHT SKY UPDATE for the week of Friday, November 18, 2022. 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: November 19, 2022
November 19, 2022 On this date in 1969, Apollo 12 landed on the lunar surface. While Command Module Pilot, Richard F. Gordon, remained in lunar orbit, Commander Charles Conrad and Lunar Module Pilot Alan Bean landed the lunar module on the Moon. They spent approximately 31 hours on the lunar surface before returning to the… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: November 18, 2022
November 18, 2022 Tonight at midnight, the Pleiades star cluster (M45) will be visible directly overhead in the constellation of Taurus the Bull. Although best seen from a dark location, many of the stars in this cluster are bright enough to observe from the city. This is an open star cluster filled with hot blue… Continue reading