Now that the holiday season is upon us, let’s get to know a plant commonly associated with the festivities, the Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima). Native to Mexico, they are known as ‘Flor de la Noche Buena’, or ‘Flower of the Holy Night’. Poinsettias are members of the Spurge family, Euphorbiaceae. A little fact: Euphorbia is named […]
Editor’s Note: Look to the skies as HMNS Astronomer James Wooten explains the sky happenings for the month of December, including the science behind our winter solstice. Jupiter is still in the evening sky; look for it in the south at nightfall. Jupiter is brighter than any star we ever see at night. Saturn remains […]
At 12:47 am CST on Wednesday, November 16, 2022, the Artemis I mission successfully launched from Cape Canaveral. Thus begins NASA’s return to the Moon, as we approach the fiftieth anniversary of our last manned mission to the Moon, Apollo 17. Early Monday morning, November 21, Artemis passed behind the far side of the Moon. […]
Editor’s Note: Look to the skies as HMNS Astronomer James Wooten explains the sky happenings for the month of November, including the highly anticipated rescheduled Artemis I launch. Jupiter is still up most of the night; look for it in the southeast at nightfall. Unless the Moon is up, Jupiter is the brightest thing in […]
Kintsugi (kin-tsu-gi) is the 15th century Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with a lacquer mixed with gold, silver, or other shiny/reflective powder. I like to reduce, reuse, recycle whenever possible, and this tradition instantly caught my eye. Rather than throwing out a piece of pottery when it breaks, it’s an opportunity to bring it […]
Autumn isn’t the only season that’s arrived- it’s also time for Spooky Season, which is in full swing in the HMNS Museum Store. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I’ve always loved dressing up and have even won a costume contest or two… But beyond spending way too much time on my costumes, the […]
Editor’s Note: Look to the skies as HMNS Astronomer James Wooten explains the autumn sky happenings for the month of October. Jupiter was up literally all night long last month. It is still up most of the night; look for it in the east southeast at nightfall. Unless the Moon is up, Jupiter is the brightest […]
Not everyone thinks bugs are cute… but what about their babies?! Just like their vertebrate counterparts, baby bugs will often elicit an “awwwwwww!” Many of the residents of the Cockrell Butterfly Center’s insect zoo were bred and raised in-house (especially Orthoptera and Phasmida). Eggs are collected and incubated until tiny little babies hatch out. Their […]
New school year, new regular year, new job, new anything- I always want to make sure I’m starting off on the right foot by staying organized. I’d buy fancy planners and pens, new folders, multi-packs of different size sticky notes, anything that gives the appearance that I’m organized and prepared from here to Armageddon. But […]
Editor’s Note: Look to the skies as HMNS Astronomer James Wooten explains the sky happenings for the month of September, including the highly anticipated postponement of the Artemis I launch. Jupiter is up literally all night long this month. Look for it low in the east at nightfall. Opposition (when Sun, Earth, and Jupiter are […]
