March 1, 2022 On this date in 1980, the Soviet spacecraft Venera 13 landed on the surface of Venus and transmitted the first color images from the surface of another planet. Additionally, the spacecraft was equipped with a microphone to record atmospheric noises, and the recordings sent back were the first audio recordings from another… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: February 28, 2022
February 28, 2022 The constellation Triangulum is visible tonight in the southwest at 8:30 pm CST. Although small and not particularly bright, this group of stars has been grouped together by many cultures throughout history. It has been said to represent several different things, including the Nile Delta, the holy trinity, and the island of… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: February 27, 2022
February 27, 2022 On this date in 2007, the Cassini spacecraft completed a flyby of Saturn’s moon Titan. Christiaan Huygens discovered this moon in 1655 and named it Saturni Luna – Latin for “moon of Saturn”. Titan was only the 6th moon ever discovered after our own and the four Galilean moons of Jupiter. It… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: February 26, 2022
February 26, 2022 The moon is moving farther away from Earth, at a rate of about 1 in (2.54 cm) every year. The gravitational force the moon exerts on the Earth is pulling energy from the Earth’s motion, which slowly pushes the moon further from us. This transfer of energy is also causing both the… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: February 25, 2022
February 25, 2022 On this date in 1969, NASA’s Mars mission Mariner 6 launched. It reached its closest approach to Mars five months later, on July 31. Both Mariner 6 and its twin mission Mariner 7 flew by the equator and south polar region to analyze the atmosphere and send back images of the surface.… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: February 24, 2022
February 24, 2022 Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun at approximately 30.4 million miles (48.9 million km) which causes the planet to heat up to extreme temperatures. However, because Mercury has little to no atmosphere, it is not able to hold the heat. This means that as day turns to night, temperatures drop… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: February 23, 2022
February 23, 2022 When Galileo first observed Saturn through a rudimentary telescope in 1610, he noted that the planet “has ears”. Forty-five years later, Dutch astronomer Christian Huygens looked at Saturn through a more sophisticated telescope. He proposed that what Galileo had termed “ears” was actually a thin ring around the planet. Galileo sketched the… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: February 22, 2022
February 22, 2022 The axis of the Earth extends from the north pole and points almost directly at the North Star. This causes all the other stars in the night sky to appear to spin around the north star. However, if we were to travel to the southern hemisphere, there is no equivalent “South Star”.… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: February 21, 2022
February 21, 2022 On this date in 1964, American astronauts Mark and Scott Kelly were born. Mark and Scott are twins who were a part of a NASA experiment to test the long-term effects of spaceflight on the human body. Scott was chosen to spend a year in space on the ISS, while Mark remained… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: February 20, 2022
February 20, 2022 The moon is rising tonight at 10:15 pm and exhibits a waning gibbous phase. The best place to observe the moon is along the terminator – the line that marks day from night on the moon, as craters are thrown into high relief. A good target for binocular viewing tonight is the… Continue reading