Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Tuesday July 5th through Sunday July 10th.
The moon is at first quarter late on Wednesday the 6th so we’ll have a waxing crescent moon for the first part of the week and a waxing gibbous moon for the second half of the week.
This will be the last week to catch all of the planets up in the morning skies although it will be hard to pick out Mercury since it is now up less than an hour before sunrise. Saturn rises at 10:45 p.m. and is now about a month away from opposition. Neptune rises at 12:20 a.m., followed by Jupiter at 12:55 a.m. and Mars at 2 a.m. Venus is now pretty low before sunrise and is up at 4:35 a.m. and the Mercury is up at 5:45 a.m. and will be a challenge to pick out from the pre-dawn twilight.
In space anniversaries this week, Sunday July 10th marks 60 years since the launch of the Telstar 1 communications satellite, the first commercial payload in space. Telstar 1 transmitted the first live satellite broadcast between the US and Europe and operated for several months before it failed, probably due to radiation from high-altitude nuclear testing. Telstar 1 is still in orbit around the Earth, even though it is no longer functional.
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.
