Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday June 4th to Sunday June 10th.
The full moon for the month of June was in the early morning hours of Monday the 4th and we will have a waning gibbous moon for the rest of the week. This full moon is known as the Flower Moon, the Strawberry Moon, the Rose Moon and the Honey Moon. Although it was pretty cloudy in Austin Monday morning, some of you may have seen that the moon was partially eclipsed as it set.
Venus is in conjunction with the Sun on Tuesday and will cross the disc of the sun in what is known as a transit. The transit of Venus happens in pairs eight years apart every 105 years and the next transit of Venus after this week's won't be until December 2117. UT Astronomy and the Austin Astronomical Society will be hosting a public viewing event for the transit at Robert Lee Moore Hall on the UT Campus. More information is available at outreach.as.utexas.edu/venus and austinastro.org.
Mercury is low in the west at sunset and will be setting at around 9:30 p.m. at midweek. Mars is up in the southwest at nightfall and is setting at 2:00 a.m. Saturn is up in the south-southeast and near the bright star Spica in Virgo. Saturn is setting at 3:45 a.m. at midweek. Jupiter is up in the east about an hour before sunrise.
Public viewing at the 16-inch reflector on top of Robert Lee Moore Hall is on Wednesday nights from 9:00 to 10:30 p.m. this summer. 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 nights from 9:00 to 10:30 p.m. this summer. 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 start time when a viewing is cancelled.
Thank you for calling the University of Texas Skywatchers Report.
