Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday October 23 through Sunday October 29.
The full moon for the month of October is on the morning of Sunday the 29th so we’ll have a waxing gibbous moon all of this week. This full moon is known as the Dying Grass Moon and the Hunter’s Moon.
And because the Earth, Moon, and Sun are all still roughly in alignment from the solar eclipse at New Moon, there will be a lunar eclipse with this Full Moon. Unfortunately, unlike the solar eclipse, this lunar eclipse will not be visible in the US.
Both Mercury and Mars are very close to the sun as Mercury emerges from conjunction and Mars heads towards conjunction. The two planets will be very close to one another on Saturday night but are too close to the sun to be seen.
Saturn is up in the south-southeast as the sky darkens after sunset and is setting at 3:00 a.m. at midweek. Look for Saturn to the upper left of the moon on Monday night.
Jupiter is rising at 7:10 p.m. at midweek and is visible for the remainder of the night. Look for Jupiter a few degrees from the moon on Saturday night.
In the morning skies, Venus is at greatest elongation on Monday the 23rd and is rising at 4:05 a.m. this week.
In space anniversaries this week, Sunday October 29 marks 25 years since the launch of the space shuttle Discovery with a crew that included former US Senator and Mercury 7 astronaut John Glenn. At age 77, Glenn became the oldest person to go into space, although that record was recently broken by the 90-year-old William Shatner in 2021. However, Glenn remains the oldest person to orbit the Earth since Shatner’s flight was sub-orbital.
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.
