Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday March 26th through Sunday April 1st.
The moon is at first quarter on Friday the 30th so we will have a waxing crescent moon for most of the week and a waxing gibbous moon on the weekend.
Jupiter and Venus are still visible in the west after sunset and continue to move further apart. Jupiter is the lower of the two and is setting at 10:20 p.m. at midweek. Venus is higher and setting at 11:30 p.m. Look for the moon alongside Venus on the evening of the 26th. Venus will reach its greatest elongation east on Tuesday the 27th.
Mars is now high in the east in the early evening skies looking like a bright orange star in the constellation Leo the Lion. Mars is setting at 6:10 a.m. at midweek.
Saturn is rising at 9:00 p.m. and is visible for the remainder of the night. Mercury is still emerging from conjunction and rises about 40 minutes before the sun at midweek.
Public viewing at the 16-inch reflector on top of Robert Lee Moore Hall is on Wednesday night now from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. RLM 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 night now from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. Painter Hall is located on 24th street about halfway between Speedway and Guadalupe and is northeast of the UT Tower. To get to the telescope, take the elevator to the 5th floor and exit to the left. Follow the 5th floor hallway to the end and take the staircase through the double doors on the left. Once you reach the 6th floor, go to your right 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. Observing events are weather permitting. Please call 232-4265 for weather cancellation information, which is updated 30 to 60 minutes before the scheduled viewing start time when a viewing is cancelled.
Thank you for calling the University of Texas Skywatchers Report.
