Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday March 4 through Sunday March 10.
The new moon for the month of March occurs early on the morning of Sunday the 10th so we’ll have a waning crescent moon in the pre-dawn skies all of this week.
Mercury is very low in the west at sunset as it emerges from last week’s solar conjunction and is setting just 35 minutes after the sun at midweek.
Jupiter is shining brightly in the west at sundown and is setting at 10:45 p.m. at midweek.
In the morning skies, Mars is rising at 5:30 a.m. at midweek, an hour and 20 minutes before the Sun. Venus follows at 5:50 a.m., about an hour before the Sun. Look for the very thin crescent moon alongside Venus on Friday morning.
Saturn is just beginning to emerge from solar conjunction and is rising just 10 minutes before the sun at midweek.
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 7th marks 15 years since the launch of the Kepler space telescope on its mission to detect planets around other stars. Before the mission ended in 2018, over 2700 planets have been confirmed from the data collected during the spacecraft’s 9 years and 7 months of operation.
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.
There will be no viewing on UT campus telescopes next week during Spring Break.
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.
