Night Sky Update: June 17 – June 25, 2022

This is the Saint Louis Science Center’s NIGHT SKY UPDATE for the week of Friday, June 17, 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: June 17, 2022

June 17, 2022 As seen from Mars on April 2, 2022, an eclipse of the Sun by the moon Phobos exhibits an annular eclipse. An annular eclipse occurs when a moon does not appear big enough to block the entire solar disc, and a ring of sunlight remains around the silhouette of the moon. Although… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: June 16, 2022

June 16, 2022 On this date in 1963, Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space. This was a solo mission aboard Vostok 6. She orbited the Earth 48 times and spent approximately 3 days in space. Tereshkova remains the only woman in history to complete a solo space flight. (Left) Valentina Tereshkova… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: June 15, 2022

June 15, 2022 Tomorrow morning before sunrise, it will be possible to see all 5 naked eye planets and the nearly full moon in an arc across the south-southeastern sky. The planets Uranus and Neptune and the dwarf planet Pluto will also be above the horizon, although not visible to the naked eye. Mercury may… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: June 14, 2022

June 14, 2022 The full moon occurs today at 6:52 am. The Moon also reaches perigee, which is when it is nearest the Earth. When perigee and the full moon occur at the same time it is often referred to as a supermoon. Although the Moon appears about 14% larger in the sky at the… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: June 13, 2022

June 13, 2022 On this date in 2010, Hayabusa became the first spacecraft to return to Earth with samples from an asteroid. This Japanese mission visited the asteroid Itokawa and completed two landings and ascents to collect samples. As it returned to Earth, it ejected the sample capsule which was protected by a heat shield.… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: June 12, 2022

June 12, 2022 Jupiter has 79 moons that orbit the planet, the largest of which is Ganymede. Ganymede is larger than the planet Mercury and has its own magnetic field. Several spacecraft have flown by this moon including both Voyageur missions, the Galileo spacecraft, and Juno which is currently in orbit around Jupiter. This image… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: June 11, 2022

June 11, 2022 Tomorrow morning at 4:45 am, just before sunrise, Venus will be visible above the Eastern horizon. At this time the planet Uranus will be located approximately 1.6° from Venus. However, it is only possible to see Uranus with the naked eye if you have excellent vision and an extremely dark, moonless night.… Continue reading

Night Sky Update: June 10 – June 18, 2022

This is the Saint Louis Science Center’s NIGHT SKY UPDATE for the week of Friday, June 10, 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: June 10, 2022

June 10, 2022 The Arietids meteor shower reaches the peak rate of meteors today. The radiant for the Arietids meteor shower lies in the constellations of Aries and Perseus. However, the Sun lies near these constellations during the peak of this shower, which makes the shower itself difficult to see. The Arietids are one of… Continue reading