Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday August 5 through Sunday August 11.
The moon was new on Sunday the 4th and will reach first quarter on Monday the 12th, so we’ll have a waxing crescent moon in the early evening skies all of this week.
Mercury continues to move back towards the Sun and its next solar conjunction and is setting at 8:50 p.m. at midweek.
Venus continues to move away from the Sun and towards its next greatest elongation and is setting at 9:15 p.m., about an hour after sunset.
Shortly after Venus sets in the west, Saturn is rising in the east at 9:50 p.m. and is now a month away from opposition.
In the early morning skies, Mars is rising at 2:10 a.m., followed by Jupiter at 2:20 a.m.
The Perseid meteor shower peaks this weekend, with the best night expected to be Sunday the 11th into the morning hours of Monday the 12th. The shower gets its name because the meteors appear to come from a point in the constellation Perseus, which is fully above the horizon by 12:30 a.m. The Perseids are caused by the Earth passing through the debris of the comet Swift-Tuttle and often produces around 100 meteors an hour around the peak. This year, the moon will set just after midnight on the 12th, so moonlight won’t interfere with viewing.
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 week of viewing at PMA for the 2024 summer session. Fall semester viewing will start in early September.
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.
