February 20, 2022 The moon is rising tonight at 10:15 pm and exhibits a waning gibbous phase. The best place to observe the moon is along the terminator – the line that marks day from night on the moon, as craters are thrown into high relief. A good target for binocular viewing tonight is the… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: February 19, 2022
February 19, 2022 On this date in 1970, Nikolai Kamanin, head of the Soviet Cosmonaut Corps, writes in his diary that he had another run in with Valentina Tereshkova. Tereshkova was the first woman in space, and Kamanin writes that she corners him after every cosmonaut meeting to ask when another female flight will be… Continue reading
Night Sky Update: February 18 – February 26, 2022
This is the Saint Louis Science Center’s NIGHT SKY UPDATE for the week of Friday, February 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: February 18, 2022
February 18, 2022 On this date in 1930, Clyde Tombaugh, a young astronomer from Kansas, discovered Pluto. Although Tombaugh had no formal education, he was hired by Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona to photograph the sky and hunt for the ninth planet. Less than 1 year into his search he succeeded in discovering Pluto. When… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: February 17, 2022
February 17, 2022 On this date in 2005, the spacecraft Cassini performed its first successful flyby of Saturn’s moon Enceladus. Enceladus has an icy crust and is believed to have a liquid water ocean beneath that. There are large, relatively warm cracks in the crust, which create large geysers. These geysers spray new material onto… Continue reading
Quackery Device, “Electricity is Life” Machine ca. 1899-1909
“Electricity is Life” by Midland Manufacturing was one of the best-selling, coin-operated electric shock machines in the early 20th century. Produced from 1899 to 1909, it was advertised as both a strength tester and electrical therapy device. For only a penny, patrons would receive a “healthy” electrical shock to treat a variety of potential ailments.… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: February 16, 2022
February 16, 2022 On this date in 1948, Dutch astronomer Gerard Kuiper discovered Uranus’ moon Miranda. Miranda is covered in a series of complex fault scarp and groove systems. It is unclear whether these features were formed by large impact events on Miranda’s surface, or by internal pressures from tidal heating caused by Jupiter’s gravitational… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: February 15, 2022
February 15, 2022 On this date in 2005, the spacecraft Cassini successfully completed a flyby of Saturn’s moon Titan. Prior to the Cassini-Huygens mission, little was known about Titan. Thanks to the photos and data collected during these flybys and subsequent landing, were able to confirm that Titan has an extremely dense atmosphere which allows… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: February 14, 2022
February 14, 2022 Stars run on a process called nuclear fusion, where elements such as hydrogen and helium are fused together under immense heat and pressure to create new, heavier elements. In supergiant stars, this process continues creating new elements until iron is formed, which is too heavy and requires more energy than available to… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: February 13, 2022
February 13, 2022 During the winter months, the constellation Taurus the Bull can be found overhead after dark. Between the horns of the bull is M1, also called the Crab Nebula, which can be seen as a faint point of light through binoculars. This was the first “comet-like” object noted by astronomer Charles Messier in… Continue reading