Astronomy Fact of the Day: April 1, 2022

April 1, 2022 On this day in 1899, American engineer James S. McDonnell was born. McDonnell was the president of the St. Louis based McDonnell Aircraft Corporation from 1939 to 1972. In addition to being one of the primary aircraft providers for the U.S. Military, McDonnell Aircraft was contracted to build the Mercury and Gemini… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: March 31, 2022

March 31, 2022 On this date in 1966, the unmanned Soviet lunar probe Luna 10, was launched toward the Moon from an Earth-orbiting platform.  It later entered lunar orbit for 460 lunar orbits and 219 active data transmissions before radio signals were discontinued on May 30, 1966. A diagram showing the stages of the Luna… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: March 30, 2022

March 30, 2022 Tonight at 9:30, the bright spring star Arcturus is rising above the eastern horizon. This star is the brightest in the constellation of Bootes the Herdsman, and it is red in color. To find Arcturus, follow the arc of the handle of the big dipper to the brightest red star above the… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: March 29, 2022

March 29, 2022 On this date in 1807, German astronomer Wilhelm Olbers discovered the asteroid Vesta. Vesta is in the asteroid belt and is thought to be the second largest asteroid in this region following Ceres. It was originally considered a planet, but as more asteroids were being discovered it was demoted. Vesta is currently… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: March 28, 2022

March 28, 2022 This morning the moon, Venus, Saturn, and Mars appeared together in the early morning sky. At sunset on September 8, 2040, the moon and all five of the naked eye planets – Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, will appear together within a 9° patch of sky. A gathering like this will… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: March 27, 2022

March 27, 2022 Tomorrow morning at 5:45 am it is possible to see the moon, Venus, Saturn, and Mars grouped in a 6° patch of the southeastern sky. These objects will only be visible just before sunrise, which will occur at 6:52 am. These planets and the moon can be found in the constellation of… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: March 26, 2022

March 26, 2022 On this date in 1996, the comet Hyakutake made its closest approach to Earth, passing just 0.1 AU away. This comet was discovered on January 31, 1996 and passed by Earth only a few months later. One of the most surprising discoveries made during this approach was the emission of X-rays, which… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: March 25, 2022

March 25, 2022 On this date in 1655, Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens discovered Saturn’s moon Titan. It wasn’t until 1847 that this moon received its official name of Titan. It was named by John Herschel, who was the son of William Herschel – discoverer of Saturn’s moons Mimas and Enceladus. This image shows Saturn and… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: March 24, 2022

March 24, 2022 On this date in 1969, NASA announced that Apollo 10 would be a lunar orbiting mission only – that it would not be landing on the moon. This flight acted as a test run for the Apollo 11 mission that would land humans on the moon a few months later. There was… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: March 23, 2022

March 23, 2022 Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is a massive, hurricane-like storm. This particular storm most likely formed in the 1870s. Transformations of this storm have been observed throughout its existence. The Great Red Spot changes size over time, growing and shrinking as it interacts with other storms in Jupiter’s atmosphere. The color of the… Continue reading