texas

skywatchers report


Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday April 2nd through Sunday April 8th.

The full moon for the month of April is on Friday the 6th, so we will have a waxing gibbous moon for most of the week and a waning gibbous moon for the weekend. This full moon is known as the Egg Moon and the Grass Moon.

Jupiter is the lower of the bright objects in the west as the sky darkens after sunset and it setting at 10:00 p.m. Venus is the higher and brighter object and is setting at 11:30 p.m. Look for Venus near the Pleiades open star cluster (better known as The Seven Sisters) during the early part of the week.

Mars looks like a bright orange star in the east in the early evening and sets at 5:35 a.m. so it is visible most of the night. Saturn rises at 8:30 p.m. and is visible for the remainder of the night. Look for Saturn, Spica and the moon together on the night of Friday the 6th. Mercury is rising at 6:15 a.m., shortly before sunrise.

Public viewing at the 16-inch reflector on top of Robert Lee Moore Hall is on Wednesday night now from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. RLM is located on the southeast corner of Dean Keeton and Speedway. Take the elevator to the 17th floor and follow the signs to the telescope.

Public viewing at the 9 inch refractor at Painter Hall is on Friday and Saturday night now from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. Painter Hall is located on 24th street about halfway between Speedway and Guadalupe and is northeast of the UT Tower. To get to the telescope, take the elevator to the 5th floor and exit to the left. Follow the 5th floor hallway to the end and take the staircase through the double doors on the left. Once you reach the 6th floor, go to your right and follow the signs up to the telescope.

All events are free and open to all ages and no reservations are required. Note that viewing times and availability change throughout the year. Observing events are weather permitting. Please call 232-4265 for weather cancellation information, which is updated 30 to 60 minutes before the scheduled viewing start time when a viewing is cancelled.

Thank you for calling the University of Texas Skywatchers Report.