texas

skywatchers report


Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers' Report for September 11th through the 17th.

The moon is at third quarter on Thursday the 14th.

Jupiter is still shining as a bright object in the southwest at sunset. This week it is setting around 10:15 p.m. and will soon be lost in the sun’s glare in the evenings.

Mercury and Mars will be less than two tenths of a degree apart on Friday, but unfortunately will be very close to the sun.

Around midnight on the night of the 12th into the 13th, the moon will be between the Pleiades and Hyades open star clusters in the constellation of Taurus the Bull. With Taurus rising and Pegasus, Andromeda, Cassiopeia and Perseus well above the horizon, we know that autumn, and hopefully cooler weather, is approaching.

Public viewing at the 16 inch reflector on top of Robert Lee Moore Hall is on Wednesday nights from 8 to 10 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 8 to 10 p.m. Painter Hall is located on 24th street about halfway between Speedway and Guadalupe and is northeast of the UT Tower.

Please note that there will be no public viewing at the Painter Hall telescope on Saturday nights when the UT football team has a home game starting after 5 p.m. Check mackbrown-texasfootball.com for current scheduling information.

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 viewing start time on nights when public viewing is cancelled.

Thank you for calling the University of Texas Skywatchers' Report.