Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday February 12 through Sunday February 18.
The moon is at first quarter on the night of Thursday the 15th, so we’ll have a waxing crescent moon for the first part of the week and a waxing gibbous moon for the latter part of the week.
Saturn is now quite low in the west-southwest at sunset as it heads towards solar conjunction at the end of the month and is setting at 7:10 p.m. at midweek.
Jupiter is shining brightly high in the southwest as the sky darkens after sunset and is setting at 11:50 p.m. at midweek. Look for Jupiter alongside the crescent moon on Wednesday night.
In the morning skies, Venus rises at 5:40 a.m., about 90 minutes before sunrise. Mars is a little below Venus this week and is rising at 5:55 a.m. The two planets will move closer together this week and the first part of next week as they pass in the morning skies.
Mercury is rising just 20 minutes before sunrise at midweek as it moves towards its next solar conjunction at the end of the month.
In space anniversaries this week, Saturday February 17 marks 65 years since the launch of Vanguard 2, the first weather satellite. The spacecraft carried an optical scanner experiment designed to obtain cloud cover data for 19 days, but the quality of the data was poor because of an unsatisfactory satellite spin axis orientation. Vanguard 2 is no longer functioning but remains in orbit around the Earth.
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.
