Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers' Report for August 23 through the 29th.
The moon was at first quarter early in the morning of Monday the 23rd.
Jupiter is about to leave the evening skies, setting at around 9 p.m. this week.
Uranus is at opposition on Friday the 27th, so it will rise at sunset and be visible all night long. Although 20 times farther from the sun than the Earth, Uranus can still be seen as a distinct blue-green disk in medium-sized telescopes. Uranus is about 4 times the diameter of Earth, with about 14 and a half times the mass.
Venus and Saturn are visible in the east in the couple of hours before dawn. The two stars that appear to the left of the two planets are Castor and Pollux, the twins of the constellation Gemini.
For more skywatching tips for the week, check out stardate.org
Public viewing on UT campus telescopes are finished for the summer and will resume in September. Please call this recording next week for news on starting dates and times.
Thank you for calling the University of Texas Skywatchers' Report.
