Seeing Stars with James Wooten: Mars and Jupiter Shine Bright

Jupiter is now in the west at dusk. It outshines all stars we ever see at night, so you can’t miss it. Mars and Saturn are now in the south at dusk. As you watch them, Mars is to the right and is much brighter. Although Mars continues to fade each night as Earth leaves […]

Seeing Stars with James Wooten: Winter Stars Shift to the Southwest

Jupiter comes to opposition on March 8, which is when Earth aligns with Jupiter and the Sun. That is why Jupiter is up all night long in early March. Face east in evening twilight to watch Jupiter rise. It outshines all stars we ever see at night, so you can’t miss it. Early risers will […]

Making the Stars: A Brief History of the Burke Baker Planetarium

In July of 1964, the Houston Museum of Natural Science opened its new museum in Hermann Park with modest exhibit space and the Burke Baker Planetarium. A state-of-the-art Spitz Space Transit Planetarium dominated the theater’s center with its flat floor and a few slide projectors. Two star balls connected by cages, swinging in a yoke, […]

Seeing Stars with James Wooten: Four Planets are Visible

Venus is in the southeast at dawn, approaching Saturn. Venus passes Saturn the morning of January 9; the two planets are less than one tenth of one degree apart! They’re easy to tell apart, as Venus outshines all the stars we see at night and is almost 100 times brighter than Saturn. Mars is now […]

Amazing Cakes: Top picks of Party Smarty 2015

by Karen Whitley Every year we see hundreds of birthday cakes, and we are blown away (candle pun intended) by some of the creations parents bring in! From the cakes that defy gravity to the ones we have to use careful geometry to cut, we are always excited to see what a party brings in. Here’s […]


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