Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday June 20th through Sunday June 26th.
The Moon is at third quarter late on Monday night and then we’ll have a waning crescent moon for the remainder of the week.
You can still catch of the planets in the morning skies this week, although Mercury will be increasingly challenging to spot as the week goes on. Saturn rises at 11:45 p.m., followed by Neptune – which will require a telescope to see – at 1:15 a.m. Jupiter is up at 1:45 a.m. and then Mars rises at 2:30 a.m. To see Uranus, which rises at 3:40 a.m., you’ll need binoculars, but you’ll be able to spot Venus easily after it gets high enough after rising at 4:30 a.m. Mercury is now sinking back towards the sun after greatest elongation last week and is rising at 5:10 a.m. Look for the waning crescent moon alongside Jupiter on Tuesday morning, Mars on Wednesday morning, and Venus on Sunday morning.
The summer solstice for the northern hemisphere occurs at 4:13 a.m. Central Daylight Time on the morning of Tuesday June 21, marking the start of summer. For our friends in the southern hemisphere, this will mark the start of winter. Here in Austin, we’ll see 14 hours and 6 minutes of daylight at the June solstice, compared to the 10 hours and 11 minutes we’ll get at the December solstice.
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.
