Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers' Report for June 20th through the 26th.
The full moon for the month of June is early in the morning hours of Wednesday the 22nd. This moon is called the Rose Moon, the Flower Moon and the Strawberry Moon.
The official start to summer comes at 1:48 a.m. Tuesday morning here in the Central Time Zone. The summer solstice occurs when the sun reaches its farthest point north of the celestial equator and cuts the largest arc across the sky, making it the longest day in the northern hemisphere. In the southern hemisphere, this day is the winter solstice and marks the shortest day of the year.
Mercury, Venus and Saturn continue to move closer together each night this week and will reach their closest points on Sunday evening. Look for the trio low in the west shortly after sunset. At the same time, Jupiter is high in the southwest. Mars is in the morning skies and rises around 1:45 a.m.
Public viewing at the Painter Hall Telescope is on Fridays and Saturdays from 9 to 11 p.m. this summer. Painter Hall is located on the corner of 24th and Inner Campus Drive, about halfway between Speedway and Guadalupe, and just north of the UT Tower.
There will be no Wednesday night viewing at Robert Lee Moore Hall this summer due to roof construction.
All events are free and open to all ages and no reservations are required. Note that star party times and availability change throughout the year. Please call this recording before planning a visit to the telescopes. Observing events are weather permitting. Please call 232-4265 for weather cancellation information, which is updated 30 to 60 minutes before viewing start time only on nights when star parties are cancelled.
Thank you for calling the University of Texas Skywatchers' Report.
