texas

skywatchers report


Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday November 6th through Sunday November 12th.

The moon is at third quarter on the night of Friday the 10th so we'll have a waning gibbous moon for most of the week and a waning crescent moon for the weekend.

Mercury is low in the west-southwest and is setting about an hour after the sun by the end of the week so you might just be able to pick it out from the evening twilight this week, but it will be easier to see in the next couple of weeks.

Saturn is low in the southwest at sunset and is setting at 8:00 p.m.

In the morning skies, Mars is rising at 4:05 a.m., now almost three hours before sunrise.

Venus is rising at 5:40 a.m., followed by Jupiter at 6:00 a.m. but both of the bright planets will gradually move closer to one another to the point that they will be separated by less than a degree by Sunday morning and only a third of a degree by the morning of Monday the 13th.

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. This Saturday's game will start at 5:00 p.m. so there will be no Painter Hall viewing that evening.

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.