Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday October 23rd through Sunday October 29th.
The moon is at first quarter on Friday the 27th so we'll have a waxing crescent moon for most of the work week and a waxing gibbous moon on the weekend.
Jupiter is in conjunction with the Sun on Thursday the 26th and will slowly begin to emerge from the Sun's glare in our morning skies over the next few weeks.
Mercury is still emerging from conjunction with the sun and is setting about half an hour after sunset.
Saturn is up in the southwest and is setting at 9:50 p.m. Look for Saturn a few degrees from the crescent moon on Monday and Tuesday evenings.
In the morning skies, Mars is rising at 5:20 a.m. followed by Venus at 6:15 a.m.
In space anniversaries this week, Friday October 27 marks 45 years since the end of the Mariner 9 mission to Mars. Mariner 9 was the first spacecraft to orbit another planet and it took over 7000 images during its 11 and a half months at Mars. The giant Valles Marineris canyon on Mars is named in the spacecraft's honor.
Public viewing at the 16-inch reflector on top of Robert Lee Moore Hall is on Wednesday nights currently 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 currently 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 Painter Telescope viewing on Saturday evenings when the UT football team has a night home game. Logon to TexasSports.com to check the football schedule.
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.
