Drake Planetarium

10/19/2026

☄️ **LOOK UP, CINCINNATI! HALLEY’S COMET IS PUTTING ON A SHOW!** 🌌

Did you know the meteors in the **Orionid meteor shower** are tiny pieces of Halley’s Comet? Earth passes through the comet’s dusty trail every October, creating streaks of light across our sky!

✨ **How many shooting stars can you see?**

Under ideal dark-sky conditions, the Orionids can produce **10–20 meteors per hour!** Here around Cincinnati, light pollution and this year’s bright Moon may reduce that number. NASA estimates suburban viewers could see around **3–6 meteors per hour**, with better chances after the Moon sets. 🔭

📅 **Peak night: October 21–22**

🌠 **Best viewing:** After midnight, especially the hours before dawn.

💡 Pro tip: Get away from city lights, give your eyes about 30 minutes to adjust, and look up! No telescope needed.

💬 Who’s staying up late to catch a shooting star?

10/15/2026

See you this Saturday at Drake Planetarium!
Get your tickets at
https://www.drakeplanetarium.org/planetarium-public-show

10/13/2026

Two amazing photos of this morning’s launch, sent to us all the way from Nashville, Georgia!

📸 Photo 1: Laura Nix
📸 Photo 2: Kelsey Johnson
Thanks for sharing these incredible views with us! 🌎✨

10/13/2026

🚀Did you see this morning’s SpaceX launch?

At 6:33 a.m., SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying NASA’s CRS-35 mission to the International Space Station! 🚀

The Dragon spacecraft is carrying more than 6,300 pounds of science experiments, research equipment, and supplies to support astronauts and scientific discoveries in space. 🛰️

And the launch created an incredible sight! As the rocket climbed into the atmosphere, its exhaust spread into a glowing, jellyfish-shaped cloud, illuminated by the rising Sun. ☀️

Space exploration isn’t just about getting to space — it’s about what we can learn once we get there!

10/12/2026

🌌 The Same Sky, A Thousand Stories

Long before modern telescopes and space exploration, Indigenous peoples across North America were observing the stars, tracking the seasons, navigating by the sky, and passing down generations of astronomical knowledge.

🌟 The night sky has always been more than a collection of stars. It has helped people understand the changing seasons, navigate the world, and connect their communities through stories and traditions.

This Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we recognize the rich and diverse cultures of Indigenous peoples and their enduring contributions to our understanding of the natural world.

At Drake Planetarium, we believe the universe connects us all—and there is always more to learn when we listen to different perspectives.

🌎 One sky. Many stories. A universe of knowledge.

10/11/2026

🐅🐬 BENGALS VS. DOLPHINS: THE SCIENCE OF THE SHOWDOWN! 🏈🔬

Today’s matchup has us thinking about the incredible science behind these two animal namesakes!

🐅 THE BENGAL: A tiger’s iconic stripes help it blend into vegetation and shadows while hunting.

🐬 THE DOLPHIN: Dolphins use echolocation, sending out sound clicks and listening for echoes to detect objects underwater. Think of it as a built-in biological sonar system!

One uses camouflage. The other uses sound waves.

Now THAT’S some natural engineering! 🌿🔊

But here’s the real game-day question: If you could give the Bengals one animal superpower, would you choose tiger camouflage or dolphin sonar? 👀

Drop your answer below, Cincinnati!

🧡🖤 WHO DEY! 🖤🧡

10/11/2026

10/09/2026

🔥🪐 SPACE NEWS: A PLANET THAT MAY HAVE BEEN BORN AFTER ITS STAR DIED?!

Astronomers are investigating an extraordinary possibility: a planet formed from the debris left behind when its star reached the end of its life.

🌟 The discovery involves a white dwarf—a dense remnant of a dead star.

🪐 The possible planet appears to orbit incredibly close to it, completing an orbit in just 4.4 days.

🤯 Most planets form around young stars. This one may represent a second generation of planetary worlds, born from cosmic leftovers!

Scientists are still working to confirm the details, but the discovery could change how we think about the life cycle of planetary systems.

The universe has a way of turning endings into beginnings.

What do you think—could planets form around the remains of dead stars?

10/08/2026

You DON’T have to stay up until midnight to see them. The Draconids are best viewed in the evening, with the peak expected around 9 PM tonight.
The meteors come from debris left behind by Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner as Earth passes through its trail.

🌌 Find the darkest spot you can
👀 Give your eyes about 20–30 minutes to adjust
📵 Put the phone down and let your eyes scan the sky
🐉 Look generally toward the northern sky — but meteors can streak across almost anywhere!

And remember: meteor showers aren’t like a fireworks show. You might see several… or you might get lucky and catch one spectacular streak.

Cincinnati, go see what the Dragon has in store for us tonight! 🐉🌠