Astronomy Fact of the Day: October 4, 2022

October 4, 2022 Tonight at 9:30 pm, it is possible to find the Moon and Saturn high in the southern sky. The Moon exhibits a waxing gibbous phase. Both the Moon and Saturn can be found in the constellation Capricornus. Additionally, Jupiter can be found to the southeast in the constellation Pisces. The sky as… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: October 3, 2022

October 3, 2022 On this date in 1970, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was founded. NOAA brought together The U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey (1807), the Weather Bureau (1870), and the Commission of Fish and Fisheries (1871) under the roof of one agency. NOAA is responsible for monitoring weather and the environment on… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: October 2, 2022

October 2, 2022 The International Space Station (ISS) travels at 4.76 miles per second. This allows it to orbit the Earth once every 90 minutes. Astronauts and cosmonauts aboard ISS see 16 sunsets a day. This photo of a sunset over the Indian Ocean was taken by astronauts aboard the ISS. This photo shows the… Continue reading

Night Sky Update: September 30 – October 8, 2022

This is the Saint Louis Science Center’s NIGHT SKY UPDATE for the week of Friday, September 30, 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: October 1, 2022

October 1, 2022 On this date in 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was officially formed. NASA is the government agency responsible for the national space program. Originally, it was the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) that supervised and directed the scientific study of flight. However, when NASA was established, NACA was… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: September 30, 2022

September 30, 2022 On this date in 1995, NASA scientists made final contact with Pioneer 11. This was the first spacecraft to study Saturn up close. Among the top discoveries of Pioneer 11 are the F ring, a new moon, and the temperature of Saturn. When final contact was made, the spacecraft was 44.1 AU… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: September 29, 2022

September 29, 2022 Mars has two moons – Phobos and Deimos. Phobos orbits close enough to Mars that it is slowly being pulled closer to the planet at a rate of about 2 cm per year. It is predicted that in 100 million years, Phobos will eventually collide with Mars, or break apart to create… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: September 28, 2022

September 28, 2022 The dark regions we see on the Moon were once thought to be seas by ancient astronomers. They are referred to as maria, which is Latin for seas. The dark material is solidified lava that once erupted to the surface of the Moon, filling large craters and impact basins. The full moon… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: September 27, 2022

September 27, 2022 The Sextantid meteor shower will reach its peak this afternoon at 1 pm, which means the best time to observe will be early tomorrow morning between 4:45 am and dawn. As the radiant for this meteor shower is overhead primarily during daylight hours, it is estimated that from St. Louis it is… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: September 26, 2022

September 26, 2022 On this date in 2005, the Cassini spacecraft completed its first targeted flyby of Saturn’s moon Hyperion. Hyperion is composed primarily of water ice and small amounts of rock. It was the first non-spherical moon to be discovered and has been likened to a “pile of rubble”. Rather than being a solid… Continue reading