July 16, 2022 On this date in 1969, Apollo 11 – with astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr., aboard – was launched from Pad A, Launch Complex 39, KSC, at 9:32 a.m. In just four days, Armstrong and Aldrin would become the first two people to set foot on the… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: July 15, 2022
July 15, 2022 Tonight at 10:45 pm the Moon is just starting to rise above the eastern horizon. The Moon will exhibit a waning gibbous phase, appearing near to Saturn in the sky. By midnight Jupiter will have joined them in the sky low over the eastern horizon. The image on the left shows the… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: July 14, 2022
July 14, 2022 On this date in 2005, the Cassini spacecraft conducted a flyby of Saturn’s moon Enceladus. The surface of Enceladus is covered in a layer of ice approximately 13 miles (20 km) deep. Beneath the ice is a liquid water ocean that spans the entire moon and is about 25 miles (40 km)… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: July 13, 2022
July 13, 2022 Full moon occurs today at 1:37 pm; however, the Moon will not rise until approximately 9 pm. The Moon also reaches perigee at 221,994 mi (357,264 km) from Earth, which is the closest full moon of 2022. When perigee and full moon coincide, it is often referred to as a supermoon –… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: July 12, 2022
July 12, 2022 On April 2, 2022, the Mars Perseverance Rover witnessed and captured a solar eclipse. The Martian moon Phobos passed between the planet and the Sun, blocking out part of the solar disc. This eclipse was captured in higher resolution and frame rate than any other Martian solar eclipse previously. The rover Opportunity… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: July 11, 2022
July 11, 2022 On this date in 1979, NASA’s Skylab space station tumbled back to Earth. Skylab was the first U.S. space station and was originally planned to be used with the Space Shuttle. However, the Space Shuttle was delayed and was not able to re-boost Skylab into a higher orbit. This caused the space… Continue reading
Night Sky Update: July 8 – July 16, 2022
This is the Saint Louis Science Center’s NIGHT SKY UPDATE for the week of Friday, July 8, 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: July 10, 2022
July 10, 2022 Today Mercury reaches its closest point to the Sun, its perihelion. Mercury orbits the Sun once every 88 days and has a more elliptical orbit than the other planets in our Solar System. At its closest approach, Mercury is approximately 28.5 million miles (45.9 million km) from the Sun. However, at its… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: July 9, 2022
July 9, 2022 A waxing gibbous moon rises today at 4:15 pm. By 10 pm, the Moon will be visible high in the south-southwestern sky. With a binocular or telescope, it is possible to see Gassendi Crater in high relief near the terminator. Gassendi Crater hosts a distinct outer rim, several central peaks, and a… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: July 8, 2022
July 8, 2022 On this date in 1992, comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 made its closest approach to Jupiter – 74,364 mi (119,677 km) from the surface. The comet wasn’t discovered until 1993, but calculations show that as it passed by in July of 1992, Jupiter’s tidal forces had pulled the comet apart. The fragments of Shoemaker-Levy… Continue reading