Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday February 10th through Sunday February 16th.
The full moon for the month of February is on Wednesday the 12th, so we’ll start the week with a waxing gibbous moon and then we’ll have a waning gibbous moon for the remainder of the week. This full moon is known as the Snow Moon, the Wolf Moon, and the Hunger Moon.
Mercury is emerging from solar conjunction and is still lost in the sun’s glare.
Saturn is low in the west-southwest and is setting at 8:05 p.m. at midweek, a little less than two hours after the sun.
Venus is high in the west-southwest at sunset and will reach its greatest illumination on Friday February 14th when it will be at magnitude -4.6. While a telescope or binoculars will show that it is only about one quarter illuminated, its overall apparent size is very large because it is currently quite close to the Earth in its orbit. Venus is setting at 9:30 p.m. at midweek.
Jupiter is very high in the south at sundown, nearly overhead in fact, as the sky darkens after sunset. Jupiter is setting at 2:30 a.m. this week.
Mars is up in the east after sunset and is still near the stars Castor and Pollux in the constellation Gemini. Mars is setting at 5:35 a.m. at midweek.
In space anniversaries this week, Tuesday February 11 marks 15 years since the launch of the Solar Dynamics Observatory to study the Sun-Earth system. Originally planned as a 5 year mission, SDO is still in orbit and making multiwavelength observations of the Sun which you can see on the internet within a few minutes of data transmission. The spacecraft is expected to operate for at least another 5 years.
Public viewing at the 16-inch reflector on top of the Physics, Math, and Astronomy building is on Wednesday nights currently 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 currently 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 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.
