Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday October 27th through Sunday November 2nd.
The moon is at first quarter on the night of Thursday the 30th so we'll start the week with a waxing crescent moon and have a waxing gibbous moon this weekend.
Venus is just past conjunction with the sun and is still lost in the sun's glare.
Saturn is now low in the west-southwest and is setting about an hour after the sun this week as it heads towards conjunction later in November.
Mars is still visible up in the southwest in the early evening and is setting at 10:10 p.m. this week.
Jupiter is rising at 1:50 a.m., giving early risers several hours to observe the giant planet before dawn.
Mercury is rising about an hour and a half before the sun at is at greatest elongation this weekend, which will be the best time to see the innermost planet in November.
This weekend marks the end of daylight saving time and return to standard time. The hour that is officially repeated is 2 to 3 a.m. Sunday morning.
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. 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.
All star party times will change to 7 to 9 p.m. starting next week, following the return to standard time.
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.
