Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday October 16 through Sunday October 22.
The moon is at first quarter late on Saturday, so we’ll have a waxing crescent moon in the early evening skies for most of the week.
Mercury is in superior conjunction with the sun on Friday when it will pass behind the sun from the Earth’s point of view and move from our morning skies into our evening skies.
Mars is very low in the west at sunset and is setting about 25 minutes after the sun.
Saturn is high in the southeast as the sky darkens after sunset and is setting at 3:25 a.m.
Jupiter rises at 7:40 p.m. and is visible for the remainder of the night.
Venus rises at 4:05 a.m., about three and a half hours before sunrise.
The Orionid meteor shower peaks on Saturday night into Sunday morning, and the moon will set in time to provide dark skies for meteor watching. This shower is caused by the Earth passing through the debris of Halley’s comet and it can sometimes produce about 60 meteors an hour but is more typically around 15-20 meteors an hour.
In space anniversaries this week, Sunday October 22 marks 15 years since the launch of India’s Chandrayaan 1, the country’s first lunar orbiter and beginning of India’s lunar exploration program. The spacecraft entered lunar orbit on November 10th and four days later it released an impact probe that hit the moon near the Shackleton Crater, making India the first country to reach the lunar south pole. The Chandrayaan 1 orbiter continued operating until August of 2009 when contact was lost with the spacecraft and the mission was declared complete.
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.
