March 22, 2022 On this date in 1913, American engineer Robert H. Goddard was diagnosed with tuberculosis. Although doctors believed he had only weeks to live, Goddard survived for more than 32 years following his diagnosis. In 1914 he received the first patents for both a multistage and a liquid fueled rocket. On March 16,… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: March 21, 2022
March 21, 2022 On this date in 1965, Ranger 9, an unmanned lunar probe, was intentionally crashed into the moon, broadcasting its descent back to earth. The series of Ranger missions was designed to study craters and potential lunar landing sites. Ranger 9 crashed in the region of Alphonsus Crater in the lunar highlands and… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: March 20, 2022
March 20, 2022 Today marks the start of spring or the day called the Vernal Equinox. On this day, each year the Sun’s apparent path in the sky reaches its ascending node. This is the point in which the Sun’s apparent path crosses the celestial equator heading northward. After today, day will be longer than… Continue reading
Night Sky Update: March 18 – March 26, 2022
This is the Saint Louis Science Center’s NIGHT SKY UPDATE for the week of Friday, March 18, 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: March 19, 2022
March 19, 2022 On this date in 2008, English science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke passed away at the age of 90. Clarke, who was best known for 2001: A Space Odyssey, helped popularize space travel. He wrote many nonfiction books which described the basics of space flight for a general audience. He died from… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: March 18, 2022
March 18, 2022 On this date in 1965, Voskhod 2 was launched by the Soviet Union with a two-man crew, Colonel Pavel Belyayev and Lt. Colonel Aleksey Leonov. During Voskhod 2’s second orbit, Leonov stepped from the vehicle and performed mankind’s first “walk in space.” Image from the FAI report certifying the first spacewalk by… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: March 17, 2022
March 17, 2022 The full moon officially occurs at 7:18 am tomorrow morning (March 18th). However, at moonrise tonight – 6:40 pm, the moon is at 99.5% illumination. The nearly full moon is visible this evening to the east in the constellation of Virgo. To calculate the lunar phase for any time and date, visit:… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: March 16, 2022
March 16, 2022 The moon is slowly moving away from Earth. This means that eventually (in millions of years), it will be too far away to completely cover the solar disc during an eclipse, and total solar eclipses will be a thing of the past. Instead, all that would be visible are partial and annular… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: March 15, 2022
March 15, 2022 Tonight at 8 pm, the waxing gibbous moon will be visible in the constellation of Leo the Lion. The moon is near a group of stars that look like a large, backwards question mark. This question mark shape marks the head and mane of Leo. The bright star at the end of… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: March 14, 2022
March 14, 2022 On this date in 1934, American astronaut Gene Cernan was born. Cernan flew to the moon twice in his career. The first was as part of Apollo 10, where he helped pilot which did not land, and once on Apollo 17, the final Apollo mission. Cernan is the last person to have… Continue reading