Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday September 29th through Sunday October 5th.

The moon is at first quarter on Monday the 29th and then we’ll have a waxing gibbous moon in the evening skies for the rest of the week.

Mercury is emerging from solar conjunction, but is still setting only 40 minutes after sunset, so it will be hard to pick out in the evening twilight. Mercury will be near the bright star Spica at midweek.

Mars is still visible low in the west-southwest after sunset and is setting at 8:30 p.m.

Saturn is rising at 6:45 p.m. and setting at 6:35 a.m., so it is still visible for most of the night.

Jupiter is rising at 1:30 a.m. as it continues to work its way towards opposition in early 2026.

Venus is rising at 5:35 a.m., now a little under two hours before sunrise.

In space anniversaries this week, Friday October 3 marks 40 years since the maiden flight of the space shuttle Atlantis on a mission to deploy a Department of Defense satellite. Atlantis flew a total of 33 missions, including the final flight of the space shuttle program in July 2011.

And 15 years ago on October 1, the Chinese Chang’e 2 lunar orbiter was launched on its mission to map the moon’s surface in preparation for the Chang’e 3 lander in 2013. After completing its primary mission, Chang’e 2 left lunar orbit for the L2 Lagrangian point and then performed a flyby of the asteroid 4179 Toutatis. Contact was lost with the spacecraft in 2014 due to weak signal strength but it will come back into the vicinity of Earth in a couple of years.

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.

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 times.

Thank you for calling the University of Texas Skywatchers Report.