Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers' Report for January 5th through the 11th.
The full moon for the month of January is on Wednesday the 7th. This full moon is called the Cold Moon or the Moon After Yule. Look for the stars Castor and Pollux of the constellation Gemini the Twins to the moon's left.
On the night of the 6th, look for Saturn to the right of the nearly full moon.
Venus is the bright object visible low in the west-southwest in the evening. Jupiter is now rising at about 10:30 p.m. as it heads towards opposition in early March.
Over the past weekend the first of the twin Mars rovers successfully landed on the red planet. You can follow the mission at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's website at www.jpl.nasa.gov. The second rover is due to land in less than three weeks to explore the opposite side of the planet. To see Mars for yourself, look to the southwestern skies in the evening hours.
For more skywatching tips for the week check out stardate.org
Public viewing on UT campus telescopes is currently on hiatus. Viewing will resume in January with the start of the UT spring semester. Please call this recording in mid-January for starting dates and times.
Thank you for calling the University of Texas Skywatchers' Report and Happy New Year!
