texas

skywatchers report


Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday June 13th through Sunday June 19th.

The full moon for the month of June is on Wednesday the 15th. This full moon is known as the Flower Moon, the Strawberry Moon, the Rose Moon and the Honey Moon.

The sun, moon and earth are still aligned after the partial solar eclipse two weeks ago at the new moon so there will be a lunar eclipse now that we've reached the full moon phase. And unfortunately, as with the solar eclipse, the lunar eclipse won't be visible here in Texas. The whole eclipse will be visible for a large part of Africa, all of the Middle East and India and will include the moon moving deep into the Earth's shadow making it the longest lunar eclipse in almost 11 years.

Saturn is still high in the south as the sky darkens after sunset and continues to be the only bright planet for early evening observing. Mercury was in conjunction with the sun last week and is now moving in to the evening skies, but all of the rest of the naked-eye planets are up well after midnight. Jupiter is rising at 3:30 a.m. at midweek, followed by Mars up at 4:45 a.m. and Venus is up by 5:30 a.m.

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.