Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday August 7 through Sunday August 13.
The moon is at third quarter early on Tuesday and then we’ll have a waning crescent moon for the remainder of the week.
Venus is in inferior conjunction with the sun on Sunday the 13th when it will pass between the Earth and the Sun from the Earth’s perspective. After conjunction, Venus will begin to emerge in the early morning skies shortly before dawn.
Mercury is at greatest elongation on Wednesday night and will set at 9:30 p.m. that evening. Mars is a little above Mercury in the west after sunset and is setting at 9:50 p.m.
In the east, Saturn is rising a little after 9:00 p.m. and is now just a couple of weeks from opposition.
Jupiter is rising at 12:30 a.m. at midweek. Look for Jupiter next to the third quarter moon on Tuesday morning.
The Perseid meteor shower peaks on Saturday night into Sunday morning and this year the moon will be favorable for viewing, unlike last year when the peak occurred in conjunction with the full moon. The Perseids get their name because they appear to come from a point in the constellation Perseus and are caused by the Earth passing through debris from the Comet Swift-Tuttle. At peak, the shower can produce around 100 meteors an hour including some with long, persistent trains.
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.
This week is the final week of the summer public telescope viewing at PMA. Fall viewing will start in a few weeks.
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.
