July 28, 2022 The Southern δ-Aquariid meteor shower peaks in the predawn hours tomorrow morning. The shower is active from July 12 to August 23. At its peak, the shower can be expected to produce approximately 25 meteors per hour; however, observing from the city will limit the number of meteors it is possible to… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: July 28, 2022
July 28, 2022 Tonight at 10 pm the Piscis Austrinid meteor shower reaches its peak activity. This meteor shower isn’t a particularly bright or prolific event, with a peak rate of about 5 meteors per hour. Viewing from the city will make it difficult to see the extent of the shower; however, the Moon will… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: July 27, 2022
July 27, 2022 On this date in 1934, Wernher Von Braun received his doctoral degree in Germany. His published thesis, “About Combustion Tests,” was completed very quickly. His actual thesis – “Construction, Theoretical, and Experimental Solution to the Problem of the Liquid Propellant Rocket” – was later revealed to be a classified Army document. This… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: July 26, 2022
July 26, 2022 This morning it was possible to see Venus 4° south of the Moon, low over the eastern horizon just before sunrise. However, if you missed seeing this pairing, they will also be visible tomorrow morning around 5 am. The Moon will appear further from Venus and closer to the horizon than it… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: July 25, 2022
July 25, 2022 On this date in 1960, the name “Apollo” was approved for the advanced manned spaceflight program, particularly the third and final phase for reaching the moon by 1970. The official Apollo mission insignia. Included in the imagery are the constellation of Orion, the Earth, and the Moon which shows the face of… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: July 24, 2022
July 24, 2022 On this date in 1969, in the early morning hours, 8 days, 3 hours, 18 minutes, and 18 seconds after leaving Kennedy Space Center, Apollo 11 Command Module Columbia splashed down into the Pacific Ocean. Later, the astronauts changed into clean flight suits and entered a mobile quarantine facility for two weeks;… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: July 23, 2022
July 23, 2022 On this date in 1995, American professional astronomer Alan Hale and amateur astronomer Thomas Bopp independently discovered a new comet that was not yet visible to the naked eye. This comet was named Hale-Bopp after both discoverers and was best visible during 1997. Comet Hale-Bopp became one of the most widely observed… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: July 22, 2022
July 22, 2022 On this date in 2006, the Cassini spacecraft conducted a flyby of Saturn’s moon Titan. Aboard Cassini was the RADAR instrument, which had the primary objective of using radar data to map the surface of Titan. This flyby focused on mapping the northern reaches of Titan which were found to host seas… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: July 21, 2022
July 21, 2022 The Oort Cloud is thought to be a spherical area of icy objects that surrounds our star at a distance of about 2,000 to 200,000 astronomical units (AU). Astronomers think long period comets and comets with very inclined orbits come from this region. Long period comets are those with orbital periods of… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: July 20, 2022
July 20, 2022 Early tomorrow morning it is possible to find the Moon approximately 1.1° from Mars in the eastern sky. With the right perspective, the Moon will appear to pass in front of Mars, creating a lunar occultation. Although this occultation will not be visible from the continental United States, parts of Northwest Alaska… Continue reading