Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday October 15th through Sunday October 21st.

The moon is at first quarter on Tuesday the 16th and we'll have a waxing gibbous moon for the remainder of the week.

Venus is now lost in the sun's glare as it heads towards conjunction next week.

Mercury is setting about 45 minutes after the sun this week, so it will probably be too close to the sun to see this week.

Jupiter is setting at 8:30 p.m. this week, about an hour and a half after the sun so time is running out to observe it.

Saturn is up in the south-southwest and is setting at 11:00 p.m. so there is still a little time to observe it before it gets too low.

Mars is up in the south-southeast at nightfall and is setting a little after 2:00 a.m. this week. Mars will be to the left of the moon on Wednesday night and to the right of the moon on Thursday night.

In space anniversaries, Monday October 15 marks 15 years since taikonaut Yang Liwei flew on the first human spaceflight mission by the People's Republic of China.

Public viewing at the 16-inch reflector on top of Robert Lee Moore Hall is on Wednesday nights currently from 8 to 10 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 from currently 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. 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.

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.