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
Astronomy Fact of the Day: July 7, 2022
July 7, 2022 Tonight at 10 pm, the Moon can be found in the southwest sky near the bright star Spica. The Moon is currently exhibiting the first quarter phase. Although half of the near side is illuminated, we call it a quarter moon because the Moon is one quarter of the way through the… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: July 6, 2022
July 6, 2022 On this date in 1687, Isaac Newton published his work Principia, which is thought to have formed the foundation for modern physics. In this piece, Newton writes about the laws of motion and his law of universal gravitation. It was this work that helped to confirm Kepler’s laws of planetary motion. A… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: July 5, 2022
July 5, 2022 Tomorrow morning at 4:45 am, the planet Venus will be visible above the Eastern horizon. Venus can be found in the constellation of Taurus the Bull, approximately 10° from the bright red star Aldebaran. To measure 10° in the sky, hold your fist up to the sky at full arm’s length. The… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: July 4, 2022
July 4, 2022 Today, Earth is 94,509,598 mi (152,098,455 km) from the Sun. This is Earth’s furthest point from the Sun, which is called aphelion. Despite being far from the Sun, the northern hemisphere is now experiencing summer. This is because the seasons are not caused by the Earth’s proximity to the Sun, but by… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: July 3, 2022
July 3, 2022 On this date in 1935, Harrison “Jack” Schmitt was born in Santa Rita, New Mexico. Schmitt flew as one of the astronauts on the last crewed mission to the Moon, Apollo 17. As a geologist, Schmitt became the first trained scientist to step on the surface of our nearest neighbor in space.… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: July 2, 2022
July 2, 2022 Tonight the Moon exhibits a waxing crescent phase and will be visible just after sunset. The moon can be found in the western sky near the “sickle” of the constellation Leo the Lion. This image shows the sky as it will look tonight at 9:30 pm with the crescent moon in the… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: July 1, 2022
July 1, 2022 On this date in 2004, Cassini-Huygens became the first spacecraft to reach and orbit the planet Saturn. Approximately 6 months after reaching Saturn, the Huygens portion of the spacecraft was released and landed on Saturn’s moon Titan. Cassini continued to monitor Saturn and the surrounding system of rings and moons until 2017,… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: June 30, 2022
June 30, 2022 On this date in 1908, the Tunguska Explosion occurred over a remote region of Siberia, flattening approximately 80 million trees. The 12-megaton explosion is commonly attributed to a meteor air burst, where a large stony meteoroid explodes in Earth’s atmosphere. However, it has recently be theorized that the explosion may have been… Continue reading