Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday July 11th through Sunday July 17th.
The full moon for the month of July is on Wednesday the 13th so we’ll have a waxing gibbous moon for the first part of the week and a waning gibbous moon for the latter part of the week. This full moon is known as the Hay Moon and the Thunder Moon. This full moon will occur just 9 hours after perigee – the moon’s closest point to the Earth in its orbit – and will be the largest in angular size this year and will cause larger than usual tides.
Mercury is in superior conjunction with the sun on Saturday the 16th when it will pass behind the Sun from the Earth’s point of view and will move from our morning skies into our evening skies.
Saturn is rising at 10:20 p.m. at midweek as it heads towards opposition in mid-August. Jupiter is rising at 12:25 a.m. at midweek, followed by Mars at 1:45 a.m. Venus rises 3 hours later at 4:45 a.m. and is slowly moving back towards the sun and its next solar conjunction in October.
In space anniversaries this week, Saturday July 16th marks 40 years since the launch of the Landsat 4 satellite, part of the second generation of Landsat missions and the first to be operated by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. The satellite lost its ability to transmit science data in 1993 but continued to send telemetry and tracking data until it was officially decommissioned in 2001.
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.
