Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday September 14th through Sunday September 20th.
The moon is at first quarter on Friday the 18th, so we’ll have a waxing crescent moon for the first part of the week and a waxing gibbous moon for the weekend.
Mercury continues to climb away from the Sun and is setting at 8:20 p.m. in the latter half of the week.
Venus is sinking lower in the western evening skies and is setting at 9:00 p.m. at midweek. Venus will be at its greatest brightness on Friday, even though it is now only 25% illuminated, but, because Venus is moving towards the Earth in its orbit, it appears physically much larger in our skies and reflects more light overall. Look for the waxing crescent moon and Venus to pair up on Monday night.
Over in the east, Saturn is rising at 8:25 p.m. and is now just a couple of weeks away from opposition.
In the morning skies, Mars is rising at 2:30 a.m. and Jupiter follows at 4:25 a.m.
In space anniversaries this week, Sunday September 20th marks 60 years since the launch of Surveyor 2, which was intended to be the US’s second robotic lunar lander. However, a thruster failure caused the spacecraft to tumble out of control and impact the lunar surface a couple of days after launch.
Public viewing at the Physics, Math, and Astronomy building is on Wednesday nights currently from 8 to 10 p.m. 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.
Public viewing at the 9-inch refractor at Painter Hall is on Friday and Saturday nights currently from 8 to 10 p.m. Painter Hall is located on 24th street about halfway between Speedway and Guadalupe and is northeast of the UT Tower. Take the elevator to the 5th floor then take the stairs up to the 6th floor and follow the signs up to the telescope. There will be no viewing at the Painter Hall telescope on Saturday the 19th due to the home football game that evening.
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 star party status information, which is updated 30 to 45 minutes before the scheduled viewing start times.
Thank you for calling the University of Texas Skywatchers Report.
