Astronomy Fact of the Day: May 31, 2022

May 31, 2022 Tonight at 10 pm the bright star Spica is visible high in the southern sky. Spica is the brightest star in the constellation of Virgo but is actually a binary or double star system. Virgo is often shown holding a bundle of wheat in her arms, which marks the location of Spica.… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: May 30, 2022

May 30, 2022 On this date in 1915, American professor and science advisor Jerome B Wiesner was born. Wiesner was a professor of electrical engineering prior to serving as the science advisor to both Eisenhower and Kennedy. Wiesner was an outspoken critic of human spaceflight and the Apollo program, preferring to send automated space probes.… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: May 29, 2022

May 29, 2022 On this date in 1919, American astronomer Arthur Eddington observed a total solar eclipse which helped confirm Albert Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity. Eddington sailed to PrÍncipe Island, West Africa in order to view the eclipse, where he saw starlight being bent by the Sun. On the left is one of Eddington’s… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: May 28, 2022

May 28, 2022 A conjunction of Mars and Jupiter occurs at 7:03 pm today but won’t be visible to us since the sun will still be above the horizon. At the conjunction the two planets would appear just less than 0.5° apart. However, tomorrow morning around 5 am they will still appear very close together.… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: May 27, 2022

May 27, 2022 Tonight at 10 pm it is possible to see the constellation of Hydra lying along the southeastern horizon. Hydra is one of the official 88 constellations defined by the International Astronomical Union. It is the largest constellation in the entire night sky – either the Northern or Southern Hemisphere, as it covers… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: May 26, 2022

May 26, 2022 This evening there is a conjunction of the Moon and Venus, where they will pass within 0.2° of each other in our sky. However, from St. Louis they are below the horizon when this conjunction occurs. It is possible to see the Moon and Venus close together tomorrow morning between approximately 4… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: May 25, 2022

May 25, 2022 On this date in 1961, President John F. Kennedy announced his intention that the United States “… land a man on the Moon and return him safely to Earth” by the end of the 1960s. This speech is generally seen as the start of the Apollo program and the Space Race between… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: May 24, 2022

May 24, 2022 This morning at 5 am, it was possible to see the Moon just 6° N of Mars above the eastern horizon. The official conjunction doesn’t occur until approximately 2 pm today and will not be visible. If you missed the close pairing of the Moon and Mars this morning, tomorrow morning at… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: May 23, 2022

May 23, 2022 On this date in 1965, the Life Sciences Committee of the National Academy of Sciences’ Space Science Board recommended that NASA quarantine all astronauts returning from the moon for at least three weeks. This was suggested to prevent possible contamination of the Earth by extraterrestrial organisms. Although astronauts no longer quarantine upon… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: May 22, 2022

May 22, 2022 Tonight at 9:30 am, the bright constellation Cassiopeia appears low on the northern horizon. This evening Cassiopeia appears as a “W” in the sky. However, depending on the time of night and season, this group of stars more closely resemble an “M” as it circles around the North Star. The sky as… Continue reading