Lecture – Timeline of the Universe by Carolyn Sumners The space-time continuum–the joining of two, once separate, concepts have allowed science to understand how the Universe works. Dr. Carolyn Sumners, HMNS VP of Astronomy, will explain our personal sense of time, Earth time, star time, and finally, cosmic time–including the time scale of the Big […]
Lecture – The Great Road Trip: New Stories in the Human Journey by John Kappelman The lure of what lies over the next horizon has always been a central part of our human quest. Dr. John Kappelman will present the latest research information on about our explorations–places, dates, and even genomic analysis–has helped to […]
The full moon of November 14, 2016 will be the closest Supermoon to Earth since January 26,1948. The full moon won’t come this close again until November 25, 2034. Thus the November 2016 full moon is the closest and largest Supermoon in a period of 86 years! The moon turns precisely full at 7:52 […]
Star Map September 2016 Venus is a little higher in the evening sky this month. Look low in the west in evening twilight. Mars and Saturn are now in the southwest at dusk. Mars continues to fade each night as Earth leaves it farther and farther behind. Also, it moves faster than […]
Jupiter is now high in the south at dusk. It outshines all stars we ever see at night, so you can’t miss it. Mars and Saturn become late evening objects this month. Tonight, May 2, Mars rises in the southeast at 9:48 p.m. while Saturn comes up soon afterwards, at 10:24 p.m. By May 15, […]
Jupiter is now high in the east-southeast at dusk. It outshines all stars we ever see at night, so you can’t miss it. Mercury is visible just after sunset this month. Face west at twilight, and look low in the sky over the point where the sun sets. Mercury isn’t as brilliant as Venus or […]
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 […]
Nothing inspires both children and adults quite the way a museum does. A close second is the inspiration that both the young and old find playing and experimenting with various kinds of toys that encourage building and construction. Exploration of the natural sciences and imaginative construction play are a natural fit. The museum’s new exhibit […]
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re probably aware 2016 is a leap year. February will have 29 days as part of a four-year mathematical cycle that has been observed in the Gregorian calendar since 1582. The reason we do this? To make up for a slight discrepancy in the Earth’s orbit around the […]
The Burke Baker Planetarium and Friedkin Theater renovation project reached a milestone this week, and we at the museum are brimming with anticipation! Okay. That’s an understatement. When we first heard the news, we all ran around screaming, “The dome is finished! The dome is finished!” That’s what really happened. The dome is indeed complete, […]
