Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday May 15th through Sunday June 4th.
The moon is at third quarter on the night of Thursday May 18th and the new moon for the month of May will be on Thursday May 25th. We'll start the month of June with the moon at first quarter.
Mars continues to linger in the west-northwest at sundown and is setting at 10 p.m. in mid-May and 9:45 p.m. by early June.
Jupiter is high in the southeast at sunset and is setting at 4:45 a.m. in mid-May and is setting at 3:30 a.m. by the beginning of June. Look for Jupiter next to the moon on the evening of Saturday June 3rd.
Saturn is moving into place for its great summer evening showing this year and is rising in the east-southeast at 10:30 p.m. on May 15th and is rising just a little after 9:00 p.m. by the first weekend in June.
Venus is rising at 4:30 a.m. in mid-May is up by 4:05 a.m. at the beginning of June, when it will reach its greatest elongation on June 3rd. Look for a thin crescent moon alongside Venus on the morning of Monday May 22nd.
Mercury is at its greatest elongation in the morning skies on Wednesday May 17th when it is rising at 5:30 a.m., about an hour before the sun. By early June, it will be rising at about the same time since it is appearing to move roughly parallel to our horizon for the next couple of weeks.
In upcoming space anniversaries - Wednesday May 24th marks 55 years since the launch of Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter on his Aurora 7 mission, making him the 4th American in space and the sixth human overall. Carpenter's Aurora 7 capsule is now on display at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.
Public viewing on UT campus telescopes has finished for the spring semester. Summer session viewing will start the second week in June. Please check back for details on starting dates and times.
Thank you for calling the University of Texas Skywatchers Report and have a happy and safe Memorial Day holiday.
