Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday October 30 through Sunday November 5.
The moon is at third quarter early on Sunday morning, so we’ll have a waning gibbous moon all of this week.
Mars is very close to the Sun and is setting at 6:55 p.m. as it heads towards conjunction in a couple of weeks. Mercury is emerging from conjunction but is also still close to the sun and is setting about 25 minutes after sunset.
Saturn is high in the south-southeast in the early evening and is setting at 2:30 a.m. at midweek. Jupiter is at opposition on Thursday night so it will rise at sunset and set at sunrise and will be visible all night long.
In the morning skies, Venus is rising at 4:10 a.m., still about three and a half hours before the sun.
Daylight saving time ends early on the morning of Sunday November 5 when we will repeat the 1:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. hour and return to Standard Time.
In space anniversaries this week, Friday November 3 marks 50 years since the launch of Mariner 10, the first spacecraft to explore the planet Mercury. Mariner 10 made a total of three flybys of Mercury before it was decommissioned in 1975 after its fuel was exhausted. The next up-close exploration of Mercury wouldn’t come until the first flyby of the MESSENGER spacecraft in 2008.
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 public viewing events on UT campus telescopes will move to 7 to 9 p.m. starting next week.
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.
