Editor’s Note: It is the Year of the Dragon and we continue to look up at the star-filled night skies with HMNS Astronomer James Wooten as he discusses the New Moon and the Earth’s rotation. Saturn is about to leave the evening sky. Face southwest at dusk to observe it as February begins. Each evening, […]
Editor’s Note: We are looking up as HMNS Astronomer James Wooten jumps into the new year with January sky happenings, including perihelion. Saturn is well placed for observing in early evening. Face south-southwest at dusk to observe it. Jupiter is prominent high in the sky, almost overhead at nightfall. No star at night is as […]
Editor’s Note: We are looking up as HMNS Astronomer James Wooten explains the sky happenings for December before we jump into the new year. Saturn is now well placed for observing in early evening. Face south-southwest at dusk to observe it. Jupiter was opposite the Sun, and up precisely all night long, a month ago. […]
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 […]
Hey, Houston! Mixers & Elixirs is back for its 2022 Summer Series. The tradition brings back many of the familiar attractions back to the halls of the Houston Museum of Natural Science but there are a few new tidbits guests may want to keep in mind when planning to attend and actively enjoying the event. […]
The world is a vast place, but all life living on its surface sprung from the same origins. Everyone and everything on this planet is connected. Sometimes the connections may not be readily apparent, but they are there.. Our “Missed Connections” series is all about exploring the unexpected connections between objects in our different exhibits. […]
By Jeff Cummins, Butterfly Rearing Coordinator at HMNS It’s the beginning of April, spring is in full swing, and I’ve seen the first of the migrant monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) females searching my garden for milkweed on which to lay their eggs. I know these are migrants, meaning they are the same individuals that spent […]
Sweet Serendipity Brings One of the World’s Top Sapphires to HMNS Hailing from an island of gemstones, the Siren of Serendip is one of the world’s largest blue sapphires. Considered one of the top five sapphires in the world, the Siren of Serendip weighs a phenomenal 422.66 carats and was discovered almost a century ago […]
There is a new addition to the Cockrell Butterfly Center Insect Zoo, a colony of leaf-cutter ants housed in a brand new exhibit! This leaf-cutter ant (Atta cephalotes) colony was acquired by the Cockrell Butterfly Center about 2.5 years ago from Guatemala. It began as a small, “softball-sized” colony that now has grown many times […]
It’s February and we’re finally past the most miserable phase of Houston’s trademark cold and soggy winter. Every once in a while we’re getting those perfect golden days of sun and warm (but not too warm) weather and many of us are already looking forward to enjoying the outdoors. With that in mind I thought […]
