August 18, 2023 This morning at 5 am, the Moon passed approximately 1° north of the asteroid Pallas. Pallas was discovered in 1802. It was only the second asteroid to be discovered, after Ceres. At the time of its discovery Pallas was considered a planet, and it wasn’t until the 1950s that it was reclassified… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: August 17, 2023
August 17, 2023 On this date in 1877, American astronomer Asaph Hall discovered one of the two moons of Mars, which he named Phobos. In mythology, Phobos is one of the sons of Ares, the Greek counterpart to the Roman god of war, Mars. Only five days prior, on August 12, 1877, Hall had discovered… Continue reading
Quarantine Notice
Quarantine Notice – ca. 1900 This cloth quarantine notice says it all. Wherever it hung, this notice was a clear warning to avoid this place. In the 19th century, scarlet fever epidemics happened frequently, striking terror in the hearts of parents everywhere. Children were particularly susceptible, and it is estimated that the mortality rate from… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: August 16, 2023
August 16, 2023 New moon occurred this morning at approximately 4 am. The days around a new moon are ideal times to get into deep sky observing. Deep sky objects are galaxies, nebulae and star clusters which tend to appear faint and diffuse. When near the new moon, bright moonlight will not interfere with views… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: August 15, 2023
August 15, 2023 On this date in 1954, Wernher von Braun officially proposes the launch of Explorer I, which would become the first artificial satellite of the Earth launched by the United States. You may find more information about von Braun and Explorer I at NASA’s overview page here. Explorer 1 was not only the… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: August 14, 2023
August 14, 2023 Tonight at 11 pm, it is possible to find the famous group of stars of the Big Dipper. The Big Dipper can be used to find Polaris – the North Star. Use the two stars at the front of the bowl to draw a line toward the North Star. The north-northwestern sky… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: August 13, 2023
August 13, 2023 Tonight at 9:30 pm, it is possible to find the constellations Sagittarius and Scorpius in the southern sky. Both are part of the group of constellations used to map the plane of the solar system, called the zodiac. As such, it is possible to find the Sun, the Moon, and the planets… Continue reading
Night Sky Update: August 12-20, 2023
This is the Saint Louis Science Center’s NIGHT SKY UPDATE for the week of Saturday, August 12, 2023. Information updated weekly or as needed. Times given as local St. Louis time which is Central Daylight Time (CDT). For definitions of terminology used in the night sky update, click the highlighted text. If relying on times… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: August 12, 2023
August 12, 2023 The peak of the annual Perseid Meteor Shower occurs tonight into tomorrow morning. The Perseids are typically active from July 17 to August 26. You can start looking for meteors as early as 10 pm by looking northeast but, your best views will be from midnight to 4 am. During this time,… Continue reading
Astronomy Fact of the Day: August 11, 2023
August 11, 2023 On this date in 1962, the Soviet Union launched Vostok 3, with Cosmonaut Andriyan Nikolayev aboard, into Earth orbit. The next day, Vostok 4 was launched with Cosmonaut Pavel Popovich aboard. Although they had no maneuvering capability and therefore could not rendezvous or dock, the spacecraft did briefly see each other at… Continue reading