Astronomy Fact of the Day: October 25, 2022

October 25, 2022 Today, a partial solar eclipse will occur. A Solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Earth and Sun. When this happens, if the Sun, Moon and Earth are in alignment, the Moon will appear to occult the solar disk. Sadly, it will not be visible from St. Louis as it… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: October 24, 2022

October 24, 2022 New moon occurs tomorrow at 10:49 UT. This is an ideal time to get into deep sky observing. Deep sky objects are galaxies, nebulae and star clusters which tend to appear faint and diffuse. When near new moon, bright moonlight will not interfere views of these faint objects. One of the best… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: October 23, 2022

October 23, 2022 For the next two weeks, northern hemisphere viewers have a chance to see the zodiacal light in the east before morning 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: October 22, 2022

October 22, 2022 Venus reaches superior conjunction today which is when Earth and Venus are on opposite sides of the Sun. After today, Venus will slowly climb out of the Sun’s glare. By the end of 2022, Venus will become visible in the west after sunset. Towards the end of the year, Venus will be… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: October 21, 2022

October 21, 2022 On this date in 1950, astronaut Ronald McNair was born. He served aboard the shuttle Challenger twice. Sadly, he and all the Challenger crew perished during liftoff in 1986. Astronaut Ronald McNair and his son Reginald. Image credit: NASA

Astronomy Fact of the Day: October 20, 2022

October 20, 2022 Exoplanets are planets found orbiting stars other than the Sun. The first exoplanets confirmed were PSR 1257 +12 b, c. and d. Since these were found researchers have found over 5,000 planets orbiting other stars. One of the most intriguing planetary systems found so far is the TRAPPIST-1 system. This consists of… Continue reading

Christmas Fairy Lamp

Christmas Fairy Lamp – ca. late 19th century. During the latter part of the 19th and into the early 20th century, Victorian Christmas Lights (also called Christmas Fairy Lamps) like this purple hobnail example, were popular decorations throughout the US. Candles were placed inside these ornamental glass lamps, and they were typically hung with wire… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: October 19, 2022

October 19, 2022 Tonight at 10 pm you can find the zodiac constellation Aquarius in the south. Aquarius is not the easiest constellation to find, but there are a few bright guides that can help. First find the Great Square of Autumn high in the south at 10 pm. Once you find this, use the… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: October 18, 2022

October 18, 2022 On this date in 1963, Félicette the cat was launched into space as part of the French space program. She was one of 14 cats trained for the spaceflight. The cats had electrodes implanted on their skulls to monitor their neurological activity. Félicette survived the flight but was euthanized so scientists could… Continue reading

YES Component Spotlight: Media Arts

Support science for our future. Make a gift to the Science Center’s YES Program to help support the Science Center’s education programs. In the Science Center’s Youth Exploring Science (YES) Program, local teens explore seven STEAM components ranging from aerospace and engineering to agriscience and cybersecurity, as they develop the skills to pursue the career… Continue reading