texas

skywatchers report


Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday June 6th  to Sunday June 12th.

The moon is at first quarter late on Wednesday night so we will have a waxing crescent at the beginning of the week and a waxing gibbous moon for the remainder of the week.

Saturn is high in the south at 9 p.m. this week and is setting at 3 a.m. Look for Saturn to the left of the moon on Thursday night and above the moon on Friday.

Mercury is in superior conjunction with the Sun late on Sunday night and will be moving from the morning skies into the evening skies. Venus, Mars and Jupiter are still visible in the morning with Jupiter rising at 3:45 a.m., Mars a little before 5 a.m. and Venus at 5:20 a.m.

A gallery of photos from last week's eclipse of the midnight sun is now up at spaceweather.com

Public viewing on UT campus telescopes for the summer starts this week and will run through mid-August.

Public viewing at the 16-inch reflector on top of Robert Lee Moore Hall is on Wednesday nights from 9:00 to 10:30 p.m. this summer. 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 from 9:00 to 10:30 p.m. this summer. 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 start time when a viewing is cancelled.

Thank you for calling the University of Texas Skywatchers Report.