Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday August 1st through Sunday August 7th.
The moon is at first quarter early on Friday the 5th so we’ll have a waxing crescent moon for the work week and a waxing gibbous moon on the weekend.
Mercury is low in the west after sunset and is setting an hour after the sun at midweek.
Saturn is rising at 8:50 p.m. and will reach opposition next week. Jupiter is up at 11:00 p.m. and is moving towards opposition in late September. Mars follows at 1:10 a.m. and will reach its closest point to the Earth this year at the beginning of December.
Venus is rising at 5:15 a.m., about an hour and a half before sunrise and will have its next solar conjunction in October.
In space anniversaries this week, Thursday August 4th marks 15 years since the launch of the Phoenix Mars Lander. Phoenix landed on Mars near the north polar ice cap and operated for nearly 6 months studying the geological history of water on the Red Planet.
And 10 years ago on Friday August 5th, the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity touched down on the Martian surface using a complicated sky crane system because of the size and weight of the rover. Curiosity landed near the planet’s equator to explore the area of Gale Crater where it continues to operate today. You can see images and learn more about the mission at mars.nasa.gov.
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. Next week will be the final star party for the summer 2022 session. Fall semester viewing will begin a few weeks later.
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.
