This is the Saint Louis Science Center’s NIGHT SKY UPDATE for the week of Friday, June 24, 2022. 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
June 24, 2022 Currently there are several planets visible in the morning sky, just before sunrise. Planets appear in the sky as bright points of light and can be easily confused for stars. The easiest way to tell the difference between a planet and a star is by seeing if the object in question twinkles.… Continue reading
June 22, 2022 Twenty-one years ago today, the McDonnell Planetarium’s Zeiss Universarium Mark IX Star Projector shined its first stars for the public. One of only three of its kind in the United States, this marvel has dazzled millions of stargazers with its breathtaking recreation of a clear, dark night sky. Experience it for yourself… Continue reading
June 20, 2022 Tonight at 10 pm, the zodiacal constellation Libra is visible in the southern sky. Libra is a dim constellation and can be difficult to see, particularly from the city. The two brightest stars in Libra are called Zubenelgenubi and Zubeneschamali. They can be found approximately halfway between the bright stars of Antares… Continue reading
June 19, 2022 Tomorrow morning at 4:45 am, just before sunrise, the waning gibbous moon will appear in the southeastern sky. With a pair of binoculars, it will be possible to see the terminator, the line between day and night, bisect Mare Serenitatis. The Moon as it will appear tomorrow at 4:45am. Mare Serenitatis is… Continue reading
June 18, 2022 Tomorrow morning at 4:45 am, it is possible to see the waning gibbous moon visible in the south-southeastern sky. Although it is not visible to the naked eye, the asteroid Vesta is situated just over 1° from the Moon. Vesta is the second largest body in the asteroid belt and is named… Continue reading
This is the Saint Louis Science Center’s NIGHT SKY UPDATE for the week of Friday, June 17, 2022. 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
June 17, 2022 As seen from Mars on April 2, 2022, an eclipse of the Sun by the moon Phobos exhibits an annular eclipse. An annular eclipse occurs when a moon does not appear big enough to block the entire solar disc, and a ring of sunlight remains around the silhouette of the moon. Although… Continue reading
June 16, 2022 On this date in 1963, Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space. This was a solo mission aboard Vostok 6. She orbited the Earth 48 times and spent approximately 3 days in space. Tereshkova remains the only woman in history to complete a solo space flight. (Left) Valentina Tereshkova… Continue reading
Star Wars Concept Art, 1983 When George Lucas was thinking about how to turn his stories into images that he could show, he called upon artist Ralph McQuarrie. The world that became Star Wars came to life as McQuarrie took Lucas’ ideas and concepts and turned them into the iconic robots, villains, landscapes, and heroes… Continue reading
