Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday April 7th through Sunday April 13th.
The full moon for the month of April is on Saturday night so we’ll have a waxing gibbous moon for most of the week. This full moon is known as the Egg Moon and the Grass Moon.
Jupiter is still visible high in the west after sunset and is setting at 12:20 a.m. at midweek.
Mars is nearly straight overhead as the sky darkens after sunset and is setting at 3:15 a.m. at midweek.
Mercury, Venus, and Saturn are still clustered together in the early morning skies, with Venus rising at 5:40 a.m., followed by Mercury and Saturn at 6:05 a.m.
In space anniversaries this week, Friday April 11 marks 55 years since the launch of Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, and Jack Swigert on the Apollo 13 mission to the moon. Apollo 13 was planned to be the third human lunar landing until the explosion of an oxygen tank in the service module two days into the flight cut the mission short. The crew safely returned to Earth on April 17 by splashing down in the South Pacific where they were recovered by the USS Iwo Jima.
Public viewing at the 16-inch reflector on top of the Physics, Math, and Astronomy building is on Wednesday nights now from 8:30 to 10:30 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 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. 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.
