Night Sky Update: January 15 – January 23, 2020

This is the Saint Louis Science Center’s NIGHT SKY UPDATE for the week of Friday, January 15, 2020. 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: January 16, 2021

Tonight the moon will exhibit a waxing crescent phase. You will find the Moon high in the southwest after sunset. Through binoculars, you will see two large dark features called Mare Crisium and Mare Fecunditatis. The dark material visible is cooled lava from ancient eruptions on the Moon.

Astronomy Fact of the Day: January 15, 2021

In 1908 on this date, Edward Teller was born. A Hungarian-American physicist, he was part of the Manhattan Project, the United States’ push to develop the nuclear bomb during World War II. Known colloquially as the “Father of the H-Bomb,” he did not care for the title, considering it to be in poor taste. An… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: January 14, 2021

As we lose Jupiter and Saturn to the glare of the Sun, we will gain a brief view of Mercury after sunset. You will find this elusive planet about 8° above the southwestern horizon around 5:20 pm. It will be a tough target due to twilight, but if you find the Moon, Mercury will be… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: January 13, 2021

On this date in 1986, astronomer Stephen Synnott discovered three more moons in orbit around Uranus: Desdemona, Rosalind and Belinda. NASA has published an extensive overview of the planet Uranus on its pages here.

Astronomy Fact of the Day: January 12, 2021

The observing window for Mercury this month runs from January 13 to February 3. You will find the planet in the southwest after sunset. Typically, the glare of the Sun will hinder seeing Mercury until 30 minutes after sunset. Your best bet to find Mercury will then be between January 19 and January 31.

Astronomy Fact of the Day: January 11, 2021

On this date in 1920, the Smithsonian Institution publishes Robert H. Goddard’s monograph A Method of Reaching Extreme Altitudes. Goddard’s work lays out the concept of using a multi-stage rocket for exploration of outer space and reaching the lunar surface, a concept which would later become fundamental to spaceflight. You can read Goddard’s treatise at… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: January 10, 2021

Tonight at 7:30 pm, the constellation Perseus will be overhead. This constellation contains several interesting objects visible in binoculars. The Perseus Double Cluster and the star Algol are good targets to start with. The Double Cluster is two open star clusters and Algol is a variable star.

Astronomy Fact of the Day: January 9, 2021

On this day in 1959, McDonnell Aircraft Co., of St. Louis, Missouri, was selected to produce the Mercury spacecraft. Now a part of Boeing, McDonnell Aircraft’s work during the Mercury program is covered succinctly in this in-house article.

Night Sky Update: January 08 – January 16, 2020

This is the Saint Louis Science Center’s NIGHT SKY UPDATE for the week of Friday, January 8, 2020. 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