Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday July 17 through Sunday July 23.
The moon is new on Monday the 17th and will reach first quarter early next week, so we’ll have a waxing crescent moon in the western skies after sunset all of this week.
Mercury is low in the west-northwest and is setting at 9:45 p.m. at midweek, over an hour after the sun.
Venus is getting lower in the west and is setting at 10 p.m. as it moves toward solar conjunction in a little less than a month. Venus now appears as a slim crescent in telescopes and binoculars.
Mars is a little above Venus in the west at sunset and is setting at 10:35 p.m. at midweek. Look for Mars to the left of the crescent moon on Thursday night.
Just as Mars is setting in the west, Saturn is rising at 10:35 p.m. in the east. Jupiter follows at 1:45 a.m.
In space anniversaries this week, Friday July 21 marks 50 years since the launch of the Soviet Mars 4 mission. The mission had been designed as an orbiter, but an on-board computer problem prevented orbital insertion in March 1974. Instead, the spacecraft performed a flyby on Mars and took 12 photos of the Red Planet before contact was lost.
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.
