Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Tuesday January 21st through Sunday January 26th.

The moon is at third quarter on Tuesday the 21st and then we’ll have a waning crescent moon in the early morning skies for the rest of the week.

Saturn has now moved past Venus in the west-southwest evening skies and is setting at 9:15 p.m. at midweek.

Venus is a little above Saturn and is setting at 9:35 p.m.

Jupiter is high in the southeast in our evening skies and is setting at 3:55 a.m.

Mars is in the east as the sky darkens after sunset and is setting at 7:10 a.m., so it is still visible for most of the night. Look for the stars Castor and Pollux of the constellation Gemini to the left of Mars.

In space anniversaries this week, Friday January 24th marks 35 years since the launch of the Hiten spacecraft, which was Japan’s first mission to the Moon. The mission had a few issues during its initial attempt at orbital insertion, but its trajectory was corrected using the first aerobraking maneuver performed by a deep space probe. Hiten entered a temporary lunar orbit in October 1991 and then a permanent lunar orbit on February 15, 1993. At the end of the mission, the probe was deliberately crashed into the Moon on April 10, 1993. With this mission, Japan became the third country to send a mission to the moon, following the United States and the former Soviet Union.

Public viewing at the 16-inch reflector on top of the Physics, Math, and Astronomy building is on Wednesday nights currently from 7 to 9 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 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. 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 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.