Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers' Report for Monday July 6th through Sunday July 12th.
The full moon for the month of July is on Tuesday the 7th. The full moon of July is known as the Hay Moon and the Thunder Moon.
There will be a penumbral lunar eclipse at this full moon, although because the moon is passing through the outer part of the Earth’s shadow, it will be almost impossible to see. The case will be similar with another penumbral lunar eclipse in August. In between though, some people will be able to see a total solar eclipse at the new moon in two weeks, although it will not be visible at all in North America. The next total solar eclipse visible in the continental United States will be in the summer of 2017.
Saturn is still visible in the western skies after sunset and will be setting just a little before midnight at midweek. On the other side of the sky, over in the east, Jupiter will be rising at 10:45 p.m. Look for the moon above Jupiter on the night of the 9th and below and to the left of Jupiter on the night of the 10th.
Venus and Mars continue to move away from one another in the morning skies before dawn. Mercury is now rising just half an hour before the sun at midweek.
NASA will try again to launch the space shuttle Endeavour on Saturday the 11th after it was delayed twice last month due to a hydrogen leak. You can watch the launch and learn more about the mission at nasa.gov
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. 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. 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.
