Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Tuesday June 20 through Sunday June 25.
The moon was new last weekend and will reach first quarter early next week, so we’ll have a waxing crescent moon in the early evening skies all of this week.
Venus and Mars continue to move closer to one another in the western skies after sunset with Mars still visible to the upper left of Venus this week. Look for the crescent moon to the right of Venus and Mars on Wednesday and above them on Thursday night. The pair of planets are setting around 11:30 p.m. this week.
Saturn is rising at 12:30 a.m., followed Jupiter at 3:20 a.m. Mercury is moving back towards the solar conjunction and is now rising just about 45 minutes before the sun.
The summer solstice for the northern hemisphere occurs at 9:57 a.m. on June 21 here in Austin and it will mark the longest amount of sunlight for the year. For Austin, it will be 14 hours and 6 minutes, compared to 10 hours and 11 minutes at the winter solstice in December.
In space anniversaries this week, Thursday June 22 marks 45 years since the discovery of Charon, the largest moon of the dwarf planet Pluto, by astronomer James Christy. The moon was named after the ferryman of the dead who was closely associated with the god Pluto, ruler of the underworld in Greek mythology. Features on Charon are taken from fictional and mythological explorers and vessels, and authors and artists associated with space exploration.
Public viewing at the 16-inch reflector on top of the Physics, Math, and Astronomy building is on Wednesday nights from 9:00 to 10:30 p.m. this summer. PMA 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.
There will be no public viewing at the Painter Hall Telescope this summer. Friday and Saturday night viewing at Painter Hall will resume in the fall semester.
All events are free and open to all ages and no reservations are required. Note that viewing times and availability change throughout the year so please check the schedule before planning a visit. Observing events are weather permitting. Please call 512-232-4265 for weather cancellation information, which is updated 30 to 45 minutes before the scheduled viewing start time.
Thank you for calling the University of Texas Skywatchers Report.
