texas

Skywatchers Report


Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday November 5th through Sunday November 11th.

The new moon for the month of November is on Wednesday the 7th so we'll start the week with a very thin waning crescent moon in the pre-dawn skies and finish with a waxing crescent in the early evening skies.

Jupiter is now very low in the west-southwest after sunset as it heads towards conjunction with the sun at the end of the month.

Mercury is also low in the west-southwest, but is setting a little over an hour after the sun so you might be able to spot it with a good view of the western horizon. Mercury is near the bright star Antares in Scorpius this week.

Saturn is up in the southwest as night falls and is setting at 8:50 p.m. at midweek. Look for a thin crescent moon above and to the left of Saturn on Sunday evening.

Mars is up in the south-southeast at sunset and is setting at 12:40 a.m.

In the morning skies, Venus is rising at 5:25 a.m., about an hour and a half before sunrise.

In space anniversaries, Thursday November 8th marks 50 years since the launch of the Pioneer 9 spacecraft. Pioneers 6, 7, 8, and 9 were part of an interplanetary space weather network that characterized the solar wind and solar magnetic field. Last contact with Pioneer 9 was in 1983.

Public viewing at the 16-inch reflector on top of Robert Lee Moore Hall is on Wednesday nights now from 7 to 9 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 now from 7 to 9 p.m. Painter Hall is located on 24th street about halfway between Speedway and Guadalupe and is northeast of the UT Tower. Please note that there will be no Painter Telescope viewing on Saturday evenings when the UT football team has a night home game. Logon to TexasSports.com to check the football schedule.

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.