Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday September 18 through Sunday September 24.
The moon is at first quarter on Friday the 22nd, so we’ll have a waxing crescent moon in the west after sunset for the work week and a waxing gibbous moon for the weekend.
Mars is now very low in the west after sunset and is setting at 8:20 p.m.
Saturn is rising at 6:15 p.m. at midweek and is visible until about two hours before sunrise.
Jupiter is rising at 9:40 p.m. and is visible for the remainder of the night.
Venus is rising at 4:15 a.m. and continues to shine brightly at magnitude -4.5.
Mercury is at its greatest elongation on Friday morning and is rising at 5:55 a.m. about an hour and 20 minutes before sunrise.
The autumnal equinox for the northern hemisphere is at 1:50 a.m. Central Daylight Time on the morning of Saturday the 23rd. On this day, the sun crosses the celestial equator and the day and night are roughly, although not exactly, equal. For Austin, the day closest to 12 hours of daytime and nighttime will come on September 27. After this day, we will have fewer daylight hours than nighttime hours until the winter solstice in December. For our friends in the southern hemisphere, the days will start to become longer than the nights until their summer solstice in December.
Public viewing at the 16-inch reflector on top of the Physics, Math, and Astronomy building is on Wednesday nights currently from 8 to 10 p.m. 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.
Public viewing at the 9-inch refractor at Painter Hall is on Friday and Saturday nights currently 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. Take the elevator to the 5th floor then take the stairs up to the 6th floor 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 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.
