Astronomy Fact of the Day: April 11, 2023

April 11, 2023 Today, Mercury reaches greatest eastern elongation. You can look for the elusive planet in the west about 30 minutes after sunset. Mercury will appear 20° below Venus tonight. The western sky as it will look tonight at 8 pm. Venus and Mercury are both visible, although Mercury will be much lower to… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: April 10, 2023

April 10, 2023 Looking to the southwest around 9 pm, you will see the red star Betelgeuse. This star is the shoulder of Orion the Hunter. The southwestern sky as it will appear tonight at 9 pm. The bright red star Betelgeuse is visible along with the planet Venus. Star map created using Stellarium

Astronomy Fact of the Day: April 9, 2023

April 9, 2023 Tonight, the Moon will rise around midnight. The Moon will exhibit a waning gibbous phase tonight with 82% disk illumination. Later around 2 am, the bright star you will see near the Moon is the red supergiant called Antares. This is the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius. The southeastern horizon as… Continue reading

Night Sky Update: April 7 – 15, 2023

This is the Saint Louis Science Center’s NIGHT SKY UPDATE for the week of Friday, April 7, 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: April 8, 2023

April 8, 2023 Mercury is at dichotomy today, which is when we see half of Mercury illuminated by the Sun. Like the Moon, Mercury and Venus exhibit phases. This is due to these planets being closer to the Sun than Earth. Mercury at dichotomy, where half the Earth-facing side is illuminated. Image credit: Starry Night

Astronomy Fact of the Day: April 7, 2023

April 7, 2023 Public Telescope Viewing will be held at the James S. McDonnell Planetarium tonight with the St. Louis Astronomical Society. For more information visit www.slsc.org A lunar corona seen from the James S. McDonnell Planetarium. Image credit: Eric Gustafson

Astronomy Fact of the Day: April 6, 2023

April 6, 2023 April’s full moon occurs tonight at 11:35 pm. This is the 4th of 13 full moons this year. In 2023, August will have two full moons. When a month has two full moons, the second one is called a Blue Moon. The Blue Moon in August this year occurs on August 30/31,… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: April 5, 2023

April 5, 2023 Sitting outside for about an hour will reveal that the sky changes as the night progresses.  This is caused by Earth’s rotation about its axis. This is the same reason the Sun appears to rise in the east and set in the west. The Sun rising in the east and setting in… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: April 4, 2023

April 4, 2023 Mercury is now visible 30 minutes after sunset in the west. The next couple of weeks will be your best chance to spot Mercury during its current evening apparition. Tonight, the planet will be found about 9.4° above the western horizon just after sunset. Mercury and Venus seen in the west 30… Continue reading

Desert Rose

Desert Rose – Collected from Mexico Do you see it? The rose-like formation of this gypsum mineral specimen? This is an example of desert rose, a cluster of gypsum with a unique growth pattern of flattened crystal “petals.” Those petals enclose sand grains as they grow, and fan open in a circular series of flat… Continue reading