December 10, 2021 First quarter moon occurs tonight at 7:35 pm. The Moon will be found in the constellation Aquarius about 4.5° south of the planet Neptune. Neptune will appear as a 7.89 magnitude object which means a telescope is needed to spot this distant world. Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune and the Moon can be found… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: December 9, 2021
December 9, 2021 Today in 1978, NASA’s Pioneer Venus Multiprobe (PVM) entered the atmosphere of Venus. The PVM contained one large and three small atmospheric probes. The radio signals from all four probes were used to characterize the winds, turbulence and propagation in the atmosphere. Artist illustration of the Pioneer Large Probe opening its parachute… Continue reading
Night Sky Update: December 8, 2021 Comet Leonard
This is the Saint Louis Science Center’s NIGHT SKY UPDATE for Comet Leonard. Comet Leonard C/2021 A1 (Leonard) Comet Leonard C/2021 A1 (Leonard) imaged on November 28, 2021. Image credit: University of Hertfordshire Observatory The night sky has long been a point of interest for humanity, beckoning us to look up into its inky black… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: December 8, 2021
December 8, 2021 Looking southwest tonight around 5:30 pm, you will find the Moon between the planets Jupiter and Saturn. The Moon will be exhibiting a waxing crescent phase with roughly 28% disk illumination. Waxing crescent moon will be seen after sunset on December 8, 2021. Look along the terminator for the best views of… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: December 7, 2021
December 7, 2021 Today 1995, the Galileo spacecraft arrived at Jupiter and entered orbit after 6 years of travel including a flyby of Venus and two asteroids, Gaspra and Ida. Galileo spent a further 8 years examining Jupiter and its moons Io and Europa. In 1994, the Galileo orbiter was present to watch the fragments… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: December 6, 2021
December 6, 2021 The closest star to the Earth is the Sun which on average is 93 million miles away. The closest star to the Sun is Proxima Centauri. This red dwarf star is about 4.2 light years away. The most distant star ever observed is MACS J1149+2223 Lensed Star 1, nicknamed Icarus which is… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: December 5, 2021
December 5, 2021 Today in 1935, the first large hydroponicum was established in Montebello, California. The word hydroponics was coined in the early 1930s, by Professor Gericke at U.C.L.A. to describe the growing of plants with their roots suspended in water containing mineral nutrients. Hydroponics is used to grow plants on the International Space Station… Continue reading
Night Sky Update: December 3 – December 11, 2021
This is the Saint Louis Science Center’s NIGHT SKY UPDATE for the week of Friday, December 3, 2021. Information updated weekly or as needed. Times given as local St. Louis time which is Central Standard Time (CST). 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: December 4, 2021
December 4, 2021 Today the Moon reached new moon around 2 am. When the Moon passed between Earth and the Sun today it was in syzygy. When three or more astronomical bodies are in alignment, a syzygy occurs. If those objects are the Sun, Moon and Earth, you get an eclipse. As this occurred at… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: December 3, 2021
December 3, 2021 Today in 1910, neon lighting, developed by French physicist Georges Claude, made its public debut at the Paris Motor Show. The colored light is produced by passing electrical current through inert gases in a vacuum tube. Neon gas glows a fiery orange-red; argon is soft lavender; argon gas enhanced with mercury is… Continue reading