Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers' Report for Monday October 23rd to Sunday October 29th.
The moon is at first quarter late on the night of Sunday the 29th.
Many planets are currently near the sun, although Mercury and Jupiter can be glimpsed for about an hour after sunset. Look for a very faint crescent moon below Mercury and Jupiter on the 23rd and to the left of the pair on the 24th.
Mars is in conjunction with the sun on Monday October 23rd and will reappear in the morning skies over the next few months. Venus is in superior conjunction with the sun on Friday the 27th and will be moving into the evening skies.
Don’t forget to set your clocks back on Saturday night or Sunday morning. The 1 to 2 a.m. hour is the one officially repeated as we go off Daylight Saving Time and return to Standard Time.
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. Due to the return to Standard Time we will change the times of public viewing to 7 to 9 p.m. starting November 1st.
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. The Painter Hall public viewing will move to 7 to 9 p.m. starting November 3rd.
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.
