Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Tuesday May 27th through Sunday June 1st.
The new moon for the month of May is on Wednesday the 28th so we'll start the week with a very thin waning crescent moon and finish with a waxing crescent in the west in the early evenings.
Mercury is starting to move back towards the sun after last week's greatest elongation, but is still setting an hour and a half after the sun so you should be able to catch it this week if you have a good view of the western horizon. Look for a thin crescent moon to the left of Mercury on Friday the 30th.
Jupiter is in the west at sunset and is setting at 11:25 p.m. at midweek. The crescent moon will be below and to the left of Jupiter on Saturday night.
Mars is high in the south at sundown and looks like a bright orange star in the constellation Virgo. Mars sets at 3:35 a.m. at midweek.
Saturn is up in the southeast as the sky darkens and is setting at 5:35 a.m. so it is still visible for most of the night.
Venus is still shining brightly before dawn as the morning star.
Public viewing on UT campus telescopes has finished for the spring semester. Summer viewing will resume in early June. Please check back for information on starting dates and times.
Thank you for calling the University of Texas Skywatchers Report.
