texas

skywatchers report


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

The moon is full on Tuesday the 14th so we’ll start the week with a waxing gibbous moon and then have a waning gibbous moon for the remainder of the week. The full moon for the month of June is known as the Flower Moon, the Strawberry Moon, and the Honey Moon.

This week, in the morning skies, you can continue to see all of the major planets of our solar system with your eyes and a telescope. Saturn rises at 12:15 a.m. and will soon be rising before midnight as it makes its way towards opposition in August. Neptune rises at 1:40 a.m. but you will need a telescope to see it. Jupiter follows at 2:10 a.m. and then Mars rises half an hour later. Uranus is up at 4:10 a.m. and you will need binoculars or a small telescope to find the 7th planet. Venus rises at 4:30 a.m. and then Mercury rounds out the group at 5:10 a.m. Mercury is at greatest western elongation on Thursday morning when it will be up an hour and 20 minutes before the sun.

In space anniversaries this week, Tuesday June 14th marks 55 years since the launch of the Mariner 5 spacecraft to study the atmosphere of Venus. The spacecraft did a flyby of Venus in October of 1967 and gathered data that was analyzed in conjunction with that of the Soviet Venera 4 probe that arrived at Venus shortly before Mariner. The data analysis was performed by a joint American-Soviet working group that was an early example of space cooperation between the two nations. Mariner 5’s mission ended in November 1967 and the spacecraft is still in space in a heliocentric orbit.

Public viewing at the 16-inch reflector on top of the Physics, Math, and Astronomy building is on Wednesday nights from 9:00 to 10:30 p.m. this summer. 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.

There will be no public viewing at the Painter Hall Telescope this summer. Friday and Saturday night viewing at Painter Hall will resume in the fall 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.