Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday October 26th through Sunday November 1st.
The full moon for the month of October is on Tuesday the 27th. This full moon is known as the Hunter's Moon and the Dying Grass Moon.
Saturn is still visible in the west-southwest at sunset and is setting at 8:20 p.m. this week.
You can still see a cluster of naked-eye planets in the morning skies, with Jupiter, Venus, and Mars all still forming a grouping in the east before sunrise. Jupiter rises first a little before 4 a.m., followed by Venus at 4:10 a.m. and Mars about 5 to 10 minutes later. Mercury is sinking back towards the sun and is rising about an hour before sunrise this week.
Daylight saving time ends this weekend and we return to standard time early on the morning of Sunday November 1st. The hour of 1 a.m. to 2 a.m. is repeated in the areas that recognize the time change.
Public viewing at the 16-inch reflector on top of Robert Lee Moore Hall is on Wednesday nights this week 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 this week 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. To get to the telescope, take the elevator to the 5th floor and exit to the left. Follow the 5th floor hallway to the end and take the staircase through the double doors on the left. Once you reach the 6th floor, go to your right and follow the signs up to the telescope. Please note that there will be no Painter Telescope viewing on Saturday evenings when the UT football team has a night home game. To check the football schedule, logon to texassports.com.
Next week, all star party viewing times will change to 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
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.
