Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday April 15 through Sunday April 21.
The moon is at first quarter on Monday the 15th and then we’ll have a waxing gibbous moon for the rest of the week.
Jupiter is now the only planet visible to the unaided eye in our evening skies and you can see it in the west at sunset. Jupiter is setting at 9:40 p.m. at midweek.
In the morning skies, Saturn is rising at 5:05 a.m., followed by Mars at 5:20 a.m. Venus and Mercury are both rising around 6:30 a.m. at midweek and will be close to one another, but will be hard to pick out from the morning twilight.
In space anniversaries this week, Saturday the 20th marks 20 years since the launch of Gravity Probe B, a mission to take measurements to verify two predictions of Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity, the geodetic effect and frame dragging. The satellite collected data for a year and after several years of analysis, both aspects of the theory were proved correct. The spacecraft was decommissioned in 2010 and remains in an Earth polar orbit.
Public viewing at the 16-inch reflector on top of the Physics, Math, and Astronomy building is on Wednesday nights currently 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 currently 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. Take the elevator to the 5th floor then take the stairs up to the 6th floor and follow the signs up to the telescope.
Next week will be the final week of viewing at the Painter Hall telescope for the spring 2024 semester.
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.
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