The Great Texas Eclipse–April 8, 2024

The New Moon of Monday, April 8, 2024, aligns with the Sun and the Earth well enough to cast its shadow onto Earth, causing an eclipse. Since the Moon is at perigee (closest approach to Earth) on April 7, its shadow does reach the Earth.  Anyone in that shadow sees the Moon block all of […]

Perihelion | January 2023 Sky Happenings

Editor’s Note: It is a new year and we continue looking up as HMNS Astronomer James Wooten explains the sky happenings for the month of January, including the science behind perihelion. Jupiter is still in the evening sky; look for it in the south southwest at nightfall.  Jupiter is brighter than any star we ever […]

HMNS Weekly Happenings

The Educator Event @HMNS   Save the Date! Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018 The Houston Museum of Natural Science is proud to present The Educator Event @HMNS, generously supported by Shell, on January 20, 2018. This conference-style event gives educators a unique chance to learn about the educational opportunities provided by museums, educational nonprofits and local […]

Sky Happenings In July 2017

    The Summer Triangle is high in the east.  This consists of the brightest stars in Cygnus, Lyra, and Aquila.  Scorpius, the Scorpion, is in the south, with the ‘teapot’ of Sagittarius to his left.  Leo, the Lion, sets in the west.  From the Big Dipper’s handle, ‘arc to Arcturus’ and ‘speed on to […]

Join us for the August 21 eclipse

The New Moon of Monday, August 21, 2017, aligns with the Sun and the Earth well enough to cast its shadow onto the Earth. The umbral shadow, where the Moon completely blocks the Sun, passes across the center of the USA, causing a total solar eclipse on a path from central Oregon to Charleston, SC. […]

The Winter Solstice And The Rise Of Kukulkan

  In celebration of the official start of winter today, we proudly present our humble thoughts on the importance of the Sun’s path through the sky as perceived by different cultures around the world. Although it barely seems worth mentioning today, in the past, solar events like the winter solstice were cause for great celebration, […]

Have Science Fun in the Summer Sun with a Solar Print Kit!

by Marina Torres Texas heat is here, and school’s out for summer. With all that bright sun outside, it’s a great time to play under the open sky. In the spirit of the season, we took science outside with a do-it-yourself kit from our own Museum Store. This super fun and educational solar print kit […]

Now Open: The Burke Baker Planetarium, Best in the World

It only takes a few seconds of a stellar light show in this newly-renovated facility to recognize why the Houston Museum of Natural Science is calling the Burke Baker Planetarium “the best and brightest in the world.” The clarity, the detail, the movement, the science, the imagery, all come together to create one of the […]


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