Astronomy Fact of the Day: April 4, 2022

April 4, 2022 This morning just before sunrise, a conjunction of Mars and Saturn occurs above the eastern horizon. A conjunction is when two objects appear at their closest as they pass each other in the sky. This pairing of Mars and Saturn is a particularly close one, as these objects will appear less than… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: April 3, 2022

April 3, 2022 The planet Uranus is 3° northwest of the crescent moon tonight. Although the moon is only about 3% illuminated, there will be enough moonlight to wash out dim Uranus for the naked eye. Uranus is visible to the naked eye if you have excellent vision and an extremely dark, moonless night. This… Continue reading

Night Sky Update: April 1 – April 9, 2022

This is the Saint Louis Science Center’s NIGHT SKY UPDATE for the week of Friday, April 1, 2022. 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

Astronomy Fact of the Day: April 2, 2022

April 2, 2022 Today Mercury is in superior conjunction. Superior conjunction occurs when a planet is on the opposite side of the Sun from the Earth. This means that the planet, in this case Mercury, will not be visible because it is behind the Sun. The major orbital points of the inferior planets. Tonight, Mercury… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: April 1, 2022

April 1, 2022 On this day in 1899, American engineer James S. McDonnell was born. McDonnell was the president of the St. Louis based McDonnell Aircraft Corporation from 1939 to 1972. In addition to being one of the primary aircraft providers for the U.S. Military, McDonnell Aircraft was contracted to build the Mercury and Gemini… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: March 31, 2022

March 31, 2022 On this date in 1966, the unmanned Soviet lunar probe Luna 10, was launched toward the Moon from an Earth-orbiting platform.  It later entered lunar orbit for 460 lunar orbits and 219 active data transmissions before radio signals were discontinued on May 30, 1966. A diagram showing the stages of the Luna… Continue reading

Star Trek Voyager Comic Book

Capitalizing on the immediate popularity of the television series in 1995, Marvel released a comic book series for Star Trek Voyager in 1996. The comics continue the adventures of the U.S.S. Voyager, and in the tenth issue the crew unexpectedly encounters the Borg! The comic series was short-lived; only fifteen issues were released because of… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: March 30, 2022

March 30, 2022 Tonight at 9:30, the bright spring star Arcturus is rising above the eastern horizon. This star is the brightest in the constellation of Bootes the Herdsman, and it is red in color. To find Arcturus, follow the arc of the handle of the big dipper to the brightest red star above the… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: March 29, 2022

March 29, 2022 On this date in 1807, German astronomer Wilhelm Olbers discovered the asteroid Vesta. Vesta is in the asteroid belt and is thought to be the second largest asteroid in this region following Ceres. It was originally considered a planet, but as more asteroids were being discovered it was demoted. Vesta is currently… Continue reading