The month of April is the month of space — it’s global astronomy month, and it’s time to look at the sky.
The exploration of the universe has always been tantalizing to mankind. It’s a vast unknown, and more than anything, humans like to know. What lies beyond our cloudy skies, past our sun, and into the depths of space? Astronomy is our key to understanding an expanse so out of our reach.
While astronomy itself goes back to the beginning of civilization, the celebration of Astronomy Month started in 1973. Though it hasn’t been around . . . nearly as long, it has helped bring astronomy more to the public eye. Started by Doug Berger, it was a concept to help fund telescopes and programs to be brought to urban areas such as public parks. It also is meant to be just a general celebration to get people excited about the night sky.
So take this month to sate your own curiosity. Check out the telescope or binoculars from our Library of Things. Especially to view the Lyrid meteor shower that will be happening from April 19th to the 23rd. (Pro tip: head out 20-30 minutes early so you give your eyes time to adjust to the dark!) You can also make a family trip to St. Louis to visit the James McDonnell Planetarium.
For cloudy days where you have no choice but to stay inside, we also have a large collection of books and DVDs you can check out:
Books:
DVDS