April 24, 2020 marks the 30th anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope. Through a partnership with NASA and STScI, the Saint Louis Science Center will reveal a never-before-seen Hubble image! Enjoy this look back at several of Hubble’s “greatest hits” from the last 30 years as selected by local NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassadors Chris Heffner,… Continue reading
Today is the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. 50 years ago, this celebration helped mark the beginning of the modern environmental movement. This year’s theme for Earth Day is climate action. To learn more, visit the official Earth Day project website here.
The annual Lyrid meteor shower peaks tonight into tomorrow morning. The radiant for this moderate meteor shower is in the constellation Lyra the Harp which rises around 10pm. Your best views will be after midnight as Lyra climbs higher in the sky. Please practice responsible social distancing when you go outside to observe.
Tonight at 8:30pm, the constellation Leo the Lion will be visible overhead. This is one of the original constellations that marked what the Babylonians called “the Way of the Moon.” Please practice responsible social distancing when you go outside to observe.
The annual Lyrid meteor shower brings the chance of seeing a few extra “shooting stars” overhead in the second half of April. Join our planetarium manager Will as he explores what you can look for in your sky. Connect with curiosity!
In 1971 on this date, Salyut I, the first manned space station, was launched by the Soviet Union. It included several military and non-military experiments, was visited by astronauts from two Soyuz flights, and finally burned up on re-entry on October 11.
The study of how light (or the ‘electromagnetic spectrum’) interacts with matter is called spectroscopy. Most wavelengths of light are not visible to humans, so we must build instruments to detect these “invisible” wavelengths. One such example is radio waves. If you would like to learn more about radio astronomy, visit the National Science Foundation’s… Continue reading
On this date in 1961, an invasion of Cuba at the Bay of Pigs by an estimated 1,200 anti-Castro exiles, aided by the US government under President Kennedy, was crushed. To learn more about the Kennedy administration, and particularly its role in the development of the United States space program, visit the John F. Kennedy… Continue reading
This is the Saint Louis Science Center’s NIGHT SKY UPDATE for the week of Friday, April 17, 2020. Information updated weekly or as needed. Times given as local St. Louis time (CDT). For definitions of terminology used in the night sky update, click the highlighted text. For now, star parties at the Saint Louis Science… Continue reading
If you are interested in citizen science projects, a fun one to take part in is Globe at Night. This program helps bring awareness to the growing problem of light pollution. If you would like to take part in this program, visit the Globe at Night website here.
