Looking east at 10pm tonight, you can find the summer constellation Hercules. His body has a distinct ‘bowtie’ shape.
Astronomy Fact of the Day: May 19, 2021
On this day in 1917, Robert H. Goddard (now called the ‘Father of American Rocketry’) proposes the use of sonar to the US Navy. The Navy advises him they are ‘not at all interested’ in the new device.
Astronomy Fact of the Day: May 18, 2021
Tonight the Moon will exhibit a waxing crescent phase with about 43% disk illumination. Tomorrow, the Moon will reach first quarter phase, putting us about one week into the lunar cycle.
Night Sky Update: May 14 – May 22, 2021
This is the Saint Louis Science Center’s NIGHT SKY UPDATE for the week of Friday, May 14, 2021. 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: May 17, 2021
In 1969 on this day, the Soviet Union’s unmanned probe Venera 6 successfully lands on Venus. Today, historians mark this as a triumph of the USSR in space, but it ‘pales in comparison’ to the American launch of Apollo 10, which launched on the next day. At the time, there was no mention of the… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: May 16, 2021
Today, Mercury reaches maximum eastern elongation. You will also find the Moon and Mars paired together in the west. You can look for Mercury, Mars and the Moon tonight 45 minutes after sunset.
Astronomy Fact of the Day: May 15, 2021
On this day in 1963, Mercury MA-9 (Faith 7), with astronaut L. Gordon Cooper Jr. aboard, launched from Cape Canaveral. His orbital flight lasted 1.43 days.
Astronomy Fact of the Day: May 14, 2021
The Sun’s surface temperature is roughly 10,000-degrees-Fahrenheit. The Sun’s core can be over 27-million-degrees-Fahrenheit. Nuclear fusion is possible in the core due to these high temperatures and high pressures.
Astronomy Fact of the Day: May 13, 2021
In 2004 on this date, a private firm, Scaled Composites, launched a test flight of their SpaceShip One, reaching an altitude of 46km and a speed of Mach 2.5. During a portion of the flight, the computerized ‘director display’ failed; however, the pilot continued the planned trajectory simply using the view from his window.
Astronomy Fact of the Day: May 12, 2021
About 20 minutes after sunset tonight, you can find three planets and the Moon in the west. The Moon will be paired with Venus about 5° above the horizon; these will be tough to see. If you wait another 15 minutes, however, Mercury and Mars will also become visible a bit higher in the sky.… Continue reading