Jupiter remains in the evening sky, well placed for observing. Look low in the southwest at dusk for the brightest thing there. Saturn is at opposition on July 9. This means that Earth is aligned between Saturn and the Sun on that date, putting Saturn opposite the Sun in our sky. For much of July, Saturn is […]
When you come see our giant scale model Moon and walk around it, you’ll notice how different the near side (which always faces us) is from the far side (which we never see). Large, dark lava flows called ‘maria’ cover almost a third (31.2%) of the near side but only 1% of the far side. […]
Today on Beyond Bones, HMNS’ resident astronomer James Wooten shows us what to look for in the night sky this month. Mars is low in the west northwest at dusk. This is the last month to see it easily, as it now sets in twilight. Mercury enters the evening sky, approaching within ½ degree of […]
Our replica Moon has been on display for about a month now. As I helped create the information panels labeling craters and maria on the Moon, I found myself wondering, “Why does this particular crater have that name?” “Who picked the names anyway?” As it turns out, the names of features on the Moon are […]
In times gone by, our ancestors gazed up at the night sky and told stories of the wondrous figures they saw gliding above the horizon. That was before television. These days most of us have forgotten the stories, but the stars are still up there. All you have to do is look. Your imagination will […]
We are pleased to present our newest exhibit, a scale model of the Moon just in time to commemorate the 50th anniversary of our Apollo missions! Without the moon, life on Earth as we know it would not exist. Our moon is unusually large for a planet Earth’s size. (Other moons of similar size in […]
April is the last month to see the full set of brilliant winter stars which now fill the western evening sky. Dazzling Orion is in the southwest at dusk. His three-starred belt is halfway between reddish Betelgeuse and bluish Rigel. Orion’s belt points rightward to Aldebaran in Taurus the Bull. To Orion’s upper left are […]
Mars remains in the west at dusk. Although now considerably dimmer than in July (and gradually fading), Mars still outshines all of the stars in its vicinity. Venus is now fully established as the ‘morning star’. Face east-southeast at dawn and look for the brightest thing there, outshining the stars and all other planets. Jupiter […]
Taurus, the Bull is high in the south. Look for the Pleiades star cluster above reddish Aldebaran. Dazzling Orion, the Hunter takes center stage on winter evenings. Surrounding Orion are the brilliant stars of winter. Orion’s belt points down to Sirius, the Dog Star, which outshines all other stars we ever see at night. The […]
In July 2015, the New Horizons spacecraft dazzled us all with our first ever close up pictures of Pluto, a world which had appeared in textbooks previously only as a speck of light with an arrow pointed at it. However, New Horizons is not done. At 11:33 pm CST on New Year’s Eve 2018 (thus, […]
