Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday October 29th through Sunday November 4th.
The full moon for the month of October is on Monday the 29th and we will have a waning gibbous moon for the remainder of the week. This full moon is known as the Hunter's Moon and the Dying Grass Moon.
Saturn was in conjunction with the sun last week and will be emerging into the early morning skies over the next few weeks. Mercury is low in the southwest this week and is near the head of the constellation Scorpius. Mercury is setting at 7:50 p.m. at midweek. Mars is now above and slightly to the left of Antares and is setting at 9:00 p.m. Jupiter is rising in the east-northeast at 8:45 p.m. at midweek. Look for it right next to the moon on Thursday evening. Venus is up in the east before dawn, rising a little after 5 a.m.
This weekend we move from daylight saving time back to standard and get back the hour we lost in the spring. The hour that is officially repeated is 2 to 3 a.m. on Sunday morning.
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 mackbrown-texasfootball.com.
Note that due to the return to standard time this weekend, all public viewing times will change to 7 to 9 p.m. starting next week through the remainder of the semester.
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 the scheduled viewing start time when a viewing is cancelled.
Thank you for calling the University of Texas Skywatchers Report.
