Astronomy Fact of the Day: March 28, 2024

March 28, 2024 Tonight at 8pm you will find the brightest star in the night sky due south.  This star is called Sirius and is part of the constellation Canis Major. Hubble image of the bright star Sirius. This is the brightest star seen at night owing to its distance of roughly 8.6 light years.… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: March 27, 2024

March 27, 2024 For the next two weeks, northern hemisphere viewers have a chance to see the zodiacal light in the west after evening twilight. The zodiacal light is a wedge-shaped diffuse light that points up from the horizon. This light display is caused by sunlight reflecting off dust in the solar system. Recent studies… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: March 26, 2024

March 26, 2024 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, 2024

March 25, 2024 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. Titan image by the Cassini… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: March 24, 2024

March 24, 2024 A full moon occurs tonight. Additionally, we can experience a penumbral lunar eclipse. A penumbral lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon enters the outer part of Earth’s shadow – the penumbra. The effect of a penumbral lunar eclipse is a very slight darkening of the Moon, which can be difficult to detect… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: January 31, 2024

January 31, 2024 Just after midnight tonight, the Moon rises in the east-southeast. The Moon exhibits a waning gibbous phase, and it appears very close to the bright blue star Spica. Spica is the brightest star in the constellation Virgo. The east-southeastern sky as it will look tonight at midnight. A waning gibbous moon appears… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: January 30, 2024

January 30, 2024 Tonight at 8 pm, the famous constellation Orion is found in the southeastern sky. Just beneath Orion is the lesser known constellation Lepus the Hare. Lepus is often depicted as a rabbit being chased by the nearby dog constellations of Canis Major and Canis Minor. The southeastern sky as it will look… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: January 29, 2024

January 29, 2024 On this day in 1959, Alan Shepard wrote a letter to his mother and father describing the possibility of his joining the “Man in Space” program. He states that he will be driving to Washington that afternoon for a briefing on the matter. He closes the letter by asking them to not… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: January 28, 2024

January 28, 2024 Although the moon’s orbit around Earth is nearly circular, it is an ellipse. This means that, although the average distance to the moon is 238,900 miles, the moon can be further or nearer to us. The furthest point in the Moon’s orbit is called apogee, where the nearest point is called perigee.… Continue reading

Astronomy Fact of the Day: January 27, 2024

January 27, 2024 On this date in 1967, the crew of Apollo 1 — composed of Virgil I. Grissom, Ed-ward H. White II, and Roger B. Chaffee — was killed in a fire during equipment testing inside their capsule. The original mission wasn’t scheduled for launch until February 21, 1967. Astronauts (left to right) Gus… Continue reading