Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday November 3rd through Sunday November 9th.

The full moon for the month of November is on Wednesday the 5th, so we’ll start the week with a waxing gibbous moon and finish with a waning gibbous moon. This month’s full moon occurs within a few hours of perigee – the moon’s closest point to the Earth in its orbit - also there will be higher than usual tides that day. This full moon is known as the Frost Moon, the Beaver Moon, and the Snow Moon.

Mercury, Mars, and the bright star Antares are all near one another low in the west-southwest shortly after sunset. At midweek, Mars is setting at 6:35 p.m., followed by Mercury at 6:45 p.m.

Saturn is up in the east at sunset and is setting at 3:10 a.m.

Jupiter is rising at 10:15 p.m. and will be near the moon in the early morning before sunrise on Monday.

Venus is rising at 5:55 a.m., about an hour before sunrise.

In space anniversaries this week, Sunday November 9th marks 20 years since the launch of the European Space Agency’s Venus Express, that agency’s first mission to study the planet. The spacecraft entered a polar orbit around Venus in April 2006 and began long term observation of the Venusian atmosphere. The mission concluded in December 2014 and the spacecraft was deorbited into Venus’s atmosphere in early 2015.

Public viewing at the Physics, Math, and Astronomy building is on Wednesday nights now 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 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. 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 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.