Mon Feb 10, 2025 GALILEO’S BIRTHDAY
The astronomer and physicist Galileo Galilei was born on February 15 in the year 1564. Galileo did not invent the telescope, but when he heard of its invention, he built his own, and like other astronomers of the 17th century, Galileo aimed his telescope at the sky and made some amazing discoveries. He saw the moon’s mountains and craters, which suggested that it was another world in space. He discovered the four largest moons of Jupiter, named the Galilean satellites in his honor. Using safe projection methods, he observed the sun and saw dark spots on its face – sunspots. He saw that the planet Venus went through phases like the moon, which showed that it orbited the sun and not the earth. And he saw the myriad stars of the Milky Way - more stars than could be seen by the unaided eye alone.
Tue Feb 11, 2025 PLANETARIUM SHOW: DAUGHTER OF THE STARS
This weekend, Indian River State College’s Hallstrom Planetarium will present, “Daughter of the Stars,” stories about the stars as told by Native American Indians. Many constellations in the current evening sky were featured in these tales. Orion the Hunter was called Long Sash by the Tewa Pueblo Indians in the American southwest. The Praesepe star cluster in the constellation Cancer the Crab was the headdress of Long Sash. And Ursa Major, the great bear of Greek myth, was also seen as a bear – Neagwaheh, by the Iroquois, that was followed by three hunters – the stars in the handle of the Big Dipper. Shows will be on Friday night and Saturday afternoon – call 772 462 4750 for tickets.
Wed Feb 12, 2025 FEBRUARY FULL MOON
The moon is full today. If you look for it this evening, you’ll find it, weather permitting, low in the east at sunset. By midnight it will be high in the south and it will finally set at dawn. The Celts called the full moon of February the “Moon of Ice,” well-named I’d say. To the Algonquin Indians of North America, this is the Hunger Moon; it appeared at a time of year when, deep in the cold of winter, food was scarce. The Kutenai Indians’ named it the Black Bear Moon, but it’s the Sioux Indians’ Raccoon Moon. The San Ildefonso peoples call this the Wind Moon, while to the Winnebago tribes it is the Fish-Running Moon. The Tewa Pueblos knew this as the Moon of Cedar Dust Wind, while the San Juan Indians call this, Moon When the Coyotes are Frightened.
Thu Feb 13, 2025 CELESTIAL LOVE
As Valentine’s Day approaches, we can turn to the starry night sky and reflect on some of the world’s greatest love stories. Well-placed in the south after sunset is the constellation Orion the Hunter, who in his youth pursued the Princess Merope - one of the stars in the Pleiades star cluster overhead. But in the end he loved Artemis, the goddess of the hunt and of the moon, which tonight appears well to the left of Orion, drifting slowly away toward the east over the next several nights. Immediately to the west of Orion is Taurus, which in mythology represents the king of the gods, Zeus, who turned himself into a bull to carry the lady Europa on his back across the ocean to Crete. And even before the rest of the stars appear, one brilliant evening star, the first star you’ll see tonight, is really Venus, the planet of love, shining brightly in the western sky at sunset.
Fri Feb 14, 2025 PLANETARIUM SHOW: DAUGHTER OF THE STARS
This weekend, Indian River State College’s Hallstrom Planetarium will present, “Daughter of the Stars,” stories about the stars as told by Native American Indians. Many constellations in the current evening sky were featured in these tales. Orion the Hunter was called Long Sash by the Tewa Pueblo Indians in the American southwest. And Ursa Major, the great bear of Greek myth, was also seen as a bear – Neagwaheh, by the Iroquois, that was followed by three hunters – the stars in the handle of the Big Dipper. Shows will be on Friday night – that’s tonight - and Saturday afternoon – call 772 462 4750 for tickets. If skies are clear this evening, the Treasure Coast Astronomical Society will let folks look through their telescopes to see the planets Venus, Jupiter and Mars!
