Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Tuesday September 8th through Sunday September 13th.

The new moon for the month of September is late on Thursday night into Friday morning, so we’ll have a waning crescent moon in the pre-dawn skies for the first part of the week and a waxing crescent moon in our early evening skies for the weekend.

Mercury is climbing higher in the west after sunset but is still setting only 40 minutes after the sun at midweek.

Venus is in the west southwest in early evening and is shining brightly at magnitude -4.5. A look at Venus in even a small telescope reveals that it is now less than 1/3 illuminated and looks like a tiny crescent moon. Venus is setting at 9:20 p.m.

In the eastern skies, Saturn is rising at 9:15 p.m. at midweek.

In the morning skies, Mars is rising at 2:35 a.m. and Jupiter follows at 4:45 a.m. Look for Jupiter next to the very thin crescent moon on Tuesday morning.

In space anniversaries this week, Tuesday September 8th marks 10 years since the launch of the OSIRIS-Rex mission to collect samples from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu. The sample capsule returned to Earth in September 2023 while the spacecraft was renamed Osiris-Apex and continued its mission to explore the asteroid Apophis, which it will reach in 2029.

And also on the 8th, in 1966, the television show Star Trek premiered. In the 60 years since the show’s debut, it has spawned 14 films, 12 additional shows, and countless novels, games, and comic books. Over the 60 years since its debut, the franchise has also inspired many to pursue careers in STEM fields.

Public viewing at 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. There will be no viewing at the Painter Hall telescope on Saturday the 12th due to the home football game 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 star party status information, which is updated 30 to 45 minutes before the scheduled viewing start times.

Thank you for calling the University of Texas Skywatchers Report.