texas

skywatchers report


Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers' Report for January 30th through February 5th.

The moon is at first quarter early in the hours of Sunday morning.

The moon is at its closest point to the earth, called perigee, early on Monday morning, just a few hours after the moon is new. This will lead to high tides on Monday. The moon, Mars and the Pleiades will be high in the west on the night of the 5th.

During the week Saturn will be passing by the Beehive open star cluster. The Beehive gets its name because it resembles a swarm of bees. The cluster is visible to the naked eye and was first resolved in a telescope by Galileo, who counted about 40 stars in it. Today about 350 stars are associated with the cluster.

Public viewing at the Painter Hall telescope is on Fridays and Saturdays from 7 to 9 p.m. Painter Hall is located on 24th street about halfway between Speedway and Guadalupe.

Wednesday night viewing on the telescope at Robert Lee Moore Hall will resume on February 8th at 7:00 p.m.

All events are free and open to all ages and no reservations are required. Note that star party times and availability change throughout the year. Please call this recording before planning a visit to the telescopes. Observing events are weather permitting. Please call 232-4265 for weather cancellation information, which is updated 30 to 60 minutes before viewing start time only on nights when star parties are cancelled.

Thank you for calling the University of Texas Skywatchers' Report.