Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday March 3rd through Sunday March 9th.
The moon is at first quarter on Thursday March 6th, so we’ll have a waxing crescent moon for the first part of the week and a waxing gibbous moon for the weekend.
Saturn is now setting less than half an hour after the sun as it heads towards solar conjunction next week.
Mercury is at greatest elongation on Saturday and will be setting almost an hour and a half after the sun, so you might be able to catch it if you have a good view of the western horizon at sunset.
Venus is to the upper right of Mercury and will be much easier to spot, shining brightly at magnitude -4.5. Venus is setting at 8:25 p.m. at midweek and will be quickly moving back towards the sun as it heads towards conjunction in a couple of weeks.
Jupiter is high in the south at sunset and is setting at 1:15 a.m. at midweek. Look for Jupiter near the moon on Wednesday and Thursday nights.
Mars is up in the east-southeast at sunset and is setting at 4:00 a.m. Look for Mars just off the limb of the moon on Saturday night.
This weekend marks the beginning of Daylight Saving Time for most, but not all, of the US when we move our clocks forward one hour earlier on Sunday morning. The 2 to 3 a.m. hour is the one that is officially skipped where the time change is observed.
In space anniversaries this week, Thursday March 6 marks 10 years since the Dawn spacecraft entered orbit around Ceres, one of several firsts for the mission. Dawn was the first spacecraft to use ion propulsion, the first to orbit the asteroid Vesta, and the first to orbit Ceres, which also made it the first spacecraft to orbit a dwarf planet. It was also the first mission to orbit two extraterrestrial bodies. Dawn’s mission ended in late 2018 when its hydrazine fuel was depleted, and it remains in a stable orbit around Ceres.
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. Enter Painter Hall on the east side of the building at the "Celebrated Entrance", 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.
