About This BlogPark Ranger Richard Fefferman, Gateway Arch National Park's "Sky Ranger" shares his knowledge of the stars and talks about currently occurring celestial events. February 2025
March 05, 2025
The skies of winter offer more bright stars to see than at any other time of year. This year, it will be even more the case, with three planets shining brightly for the whole month to add to the scene. March 2025
March 07, 2025
March offers a chance to see our solar system's two innermost planets- brilliant Venus and usually elusive Mercury. Learn how to spot them in our Sky Ranger's monthly blog entry. January 2025
December 26, 2024
A monthly installment of the blog that tells you what's happening in the skies above St. Louis December 2024
November 26, 2024
The planet Venus is becoming increasingly visible in our night skies. October 2024
September 26, 2024
Have you heard about the comet that is coming? Learn how to "Catch a Comet" in our Sky Ranger's monthly blog. September 2024
September 03, 2024
Catch a small partial eclipse and a possible stellar eruption this September! August 2024
July 29, 2024
Some planets are finally returning into view- learn how to find them and also get some tips on the August Perseid shower. May 2024
April 29, 2024
Catch our namesake Arch of Spring before it leaves the evening sky, and the summer star Vega as it arrives. April 2024
March 29, 2024
In the last of a three-part series, our Sky Ranger discusses how to safely view the April 8th solar eclipse. Special Edition March 15 2024
March 15, 2024
Learn more about where to go and why you should make a point to experience totality on April 8th, in the second part of our Sky Ranger's blog about the eclipse. Mar 2024
February 27, 2024
Learn "Why the Magic Happens"- the first part of our Sky Ranger's guide to the upcoming April 8 solar eclipse. February 2024
January 26, 2024
Inspired by the Leap Year, our Sky Ranger's February blog post is devoted to the somewhat obscure constellation, Lepus the Hare. Learn about it here... January 2024
December 20, 2023
Yes, it will be cold, but it will be worth it to bundle up and catch some planets at dawn and dusk this January. December 2023
November 27, 2023
December's evening skies feature good groupings of the Moon and planets as well as perhaps the best meteor shower of the year. November 2023
October 27, 2023
Halley's Comet, which passed the Earth last in 1986, is just about to start the long, long trip back towards us. September 2023
August 31, 2023
Learn about Saturn, the Gem of the Heavens, visible in September's evening skies. August 2023
July 31, 2023
Learn about the upcoming Perseid meteor shower, which will be good this year. June 2023
May 30, 2023
Our Sky Ranger looks at Lewis & Clark and other journeys, some successful, some not so much. April 2023
March 28, 2023
This April presents a great chance to spot the Iron Planet learn about it in our Sky Ranger's monthly blog. March 2023
February 28, 2023
Learn more about the great pair of planets currently in the western sky after sunset, as well as the stellar Great Hexagon, in our Sky Ranger's March 2023 blog entry. February 2023
January 31, 2023
Get the real story about "the great green comet" and also a grouping of planets worth looking at. January 2023
December 27, 2022
Ride the night sky's Lazy River- learn about it in our Sky Ranger's blog post for January. December 2022
December 01, 2022
December will provide a "Cosmic Holiday Feast", with a chance to spot all five brighter planets in the evening sky. There will also be a rare chance to see the Moon cover up Mars, which will be brighter than it will be again until 2033. November 2022
October 31, 2022
Follow the moon as it points the way to several planets, while being totally eclipsed on November 8th. October 2022
September 30, 2022
Learn how to locate a trio of triangles plus some challenge objects in October's night skies. September 2022
August 31, 2022
After a long absence, a couple of planets begin to appear in our evening skies. Learn how to spot them in our Sky Ranger's latest monthly blog. June 2022
June 01, 2022
Are there really "billions and billions" of stars visible to the naked eye? Find out by reading "Count the Stars," our Sky Ranger's blog entry for June. May 2022
May 02, 2022
Learn about the upcoming "Super Flower Blood Moon" that will take place on the night of May 15th. April 2022
March 29, 2022
Learn how to spot an ark, an arch, and the Arch of Spring in the April night sky. March 2022
February 23, 2022
The March night skies are filled with bright stars and famous 'deep-sky' objects. January 2022
December 31, 2021
Our Sky Ranger discusses how you can duplicate observations made by the Maya civilization more than a thousand years ago. November 2021
October 30, 2021
The moon points the way to several planets and is itself eclipsed in November 2021. September 2021
August 30, 2021
Learn about some "flying" constellations and three bright planets visible in the September skies. August 2021
July 29, 2021
Some tips from our Sky Ranger on how to view the Perseid Meteor Shower, which should be very good this year. July 2021
June 25, 2021
Learn about the celestial Scorpion, one of the most distinctive and beautiful constellations in the sky. June 2021
May 21, 2021
Our Sky Ranger shares information about the May 26 lunar eclipse plus two more "visible" this year. May 2021
April 30, 2021
Learn about a counterpart to the Gateway Arch- the Arch of Spring in the sky, a chance to see the innermost planets, and some unusual star stories. April 2021
March 31, 2021
There is a lot of parallel between some of the qualities embodied in the names of the Mars rovers and our Park's own themes. March 2021
February 26, 2021
Learn about how to find the Winter Triangle and the Great Hexagon in the night sky. February 2021
January 29, 2021
Our Sky Ranger gives tips on how you can find a distant galaxy and a celestial ghoul January 2021
January 04, 2021
Our Sky Ranger relates the winding up of December's Great Conjunction. December 2020
November 30, 2020
Learn about the closest Great Conjunction between Jupiter and Saturn in almost any of our lifetimes. August 2020
July 31, 2020
Learn about the upcoming Perseid Meteor Shower, usually the best of the year. July 2020
July 02, 2020
"Our Sky Ranger describes how the giant planets Jupiter and Saturn are converging in the evening sky, while moving backwards at the same time." May 2020
May 05, 2020
Our Sky Ranger discusses the dramatic departure of Venus from the evening sky, along with a special online event coming May 30th. April 2020
April 01, 2020
While most of us seem to have more time on our hands these days, why not step outside this evening and take a look at the night sky. February 2020
February 03, 2020
Our Sky Ranger highlights Orion's hunting dogs as well as a couple of February sky events. December 2019
December 11, 2019
Here is our Sky Ranger's blog entry for December, featuring the spectacular appearance of Venus into our night sky. Special Meteor Edition
November 19, 2019
A special update on the “Arch Meteor” and a surprise opportunity to view a meteor shower on November 21. October 2019
October 02, 2019
Have you ever seen the International Space Station? On a favorable pass overhead, the ISS can outshine all stars and planets in the sky, shining as a brilliant starlike object resembling a slowly moving airplane. This October will be a good time to see the ISS, with an evening series of passes visible from St. Louis Oct. 2-12. September 2019
September 05, 2019
As we move to late summer, the planet Jupiter is by far the brightest star-like object in the night sky, in the south to southwest as the sky gets dark. Saturn, dimmer but still obvious, is the next bright “star” to Jupiter’s left. These two will be the only planets easily seen this month, as the others hover in the same direction as the Sun. August 2019
August 07, 2019
This month, I will write more about things and events we can’t see more than what we can. That is how things go with the sky- a great event can take place when skies are cloudy, or the Earth could be turned the wrong way at the time so that our part of the world can’t see it. July 2019
July 01, 2019
Memories of Apollo June 2019
June 04, 2019
The month of June offers a chance to spot two pairs of planets in the night sky. May 2018
May 10, 2019
As the weather warms, the sun gets higher, and the nights shorter, the constellation Leo comes to dominate May’s night skies. December 2018
December 06, 2018
“Falling” and “Hairy” stars dominate the Skies November 2018
November 16, 2018
Introduction to Sky Ranger Richard Fefferman and the first entry in the blog |
Last updated: November 16, 2018
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