Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday July 24 through Sunday July 30.
The moon is at first quarter on Tuesday the 25th and then we’ll have a waxing gibbous moon for the remainder of the week.
Venus is now very low in the west after sunset as it moves towards its next solar conjunction in mid-August. Venus is setting at 9:25 p.m. at midweek.
Mercury continues to move away from the sun after its last conjunction and is visible low in the west after sunset, a little above the much brighter Venus. Mercury sets at 9:45 p.m. at midweek.
Mars is also low in the west at sunset but is a little higher than Mercury and Venus and is setting at 10:20 p.m. at midweek.
Over in the east, Saturn is rising at 10:05 p.m. and is now about a month away from opposition and its closest approach to Earth.
Jupiter is rising at 1:20 a.m. and is still a few months away from opposition.
In space anniversaries this week, Wednesday July 26 marks 65 years since the launch of the Explorer 4 satellite, which studied and mapped the Earth’s van Allen radiation belts. The spacecraft also monitored the effects of high-altitude nuclear weapon tests. The last contact with the satellite was in October 1958 and the spacecraft reentered the Earth’s atmosphere a year later.
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.
