Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday April 15th through Sunday April 21st.
The moon is at first quarter on Thursday the 18th so we will have a waxing crescent moon for the first part of the week and a waxing gibbous moon for the remainder of the week.
Mars is in conjunction with the sun late on Wednesday night, so it will be behind the sun and re-emerge into our morning skies in the next couple of weeks.
Venus is starting to emerge from conjunction and into our early evening skies, but it is still setting just 25 minutes after the sun so it won't be visible this week.
Jupiter is high in the west at nightfall and is setting at 11:35 p.m. at midweek. Saturn is rising in the east-southeast at 8:35 p.m. at midweek, making it a nice target for nearly the whole night.
Mercury is rising nearly an hour before the sun at midweek so you should be able to pick it out low in the east in the pre-dawn sky.
Public viewing at the 16-inch reflector on top of Robert Lee Moore Hall is on Wednesday nights currently 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 nights currently 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.
