Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday August 8th through Sunday August 14th.
The moon is full on Thursday the 11th so we’ll have a waxing gibbous moon for the first part of the week and a waning gibbous moon for the weekend. This full moon is known as the Grain Moon and the Green Corn Moon.
Mercury is low in the west after sunset and it setting about an hour after the Sun.
Saturn is at opposition on Sunday the 14th and will rise at sunset that evening and set at sunrise and will be visible all night. Opposition occurs when a planet and the Sun are on opposite sides of the Earth so the planet rises as the Sun is setting from our perspective. Saturn will be above and to the left of the full moon on Thursday.
Jupiter is rising at 10:30 p.m. at midweek. Look for Jupiter alongside the moon on Sunday night.
Mars rises at 1:00 a.m. at midweek and Venus is up at 5:25 a.m., an hour and a half before sunrise.
The Perseids meteor shower peaks on Friday night into Saturday morning, but unfortunately this year the peak is just a day past the full moon, which will interfere with viewing. The shower gets its name because the meteors appear to come from a point in the constellation Perseus, which is above the horizon by 1 a.m. This shower is caused by the Earth passing through the debris of the comet Swift-Tuttle and in optimal conditions will produce about 100 meteors an hour.
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. This week will be the final star party for the summer 2022 session. Fall semester viewing will begin in a few weeks.
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.
