Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday September 16 through Sunday September 22.
The full moon for the month of September is late on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning so we’ll start the week with a waxing gibbous moon and finish with a waning gibbous moon. This full moon is known as the Fruit Moon, the Green Corn Moon, and as the full moon closest to the Autumnal Equinox, it is this year’s Harvest Moon.
With this full moon, some parts of the Earth (including Texas) will see a partial lunar eclipse on Tuesday night. For Austin, the penumbral phase of the eclipse will start just after the moon rises at 7:30 p.m. The partial phase will then start at 9:13 p.m. and then will reach maximum eclipse at 9:45 p.m. This eclipse is fairly shallow since the moon just skirts the edge of the deepest part of the Earth’s shadow, so you will only see a dark smudge on one limb of the moon at maximum eclipse.
Venus is still shining low in the west after sunset and is setting at 8:50 p.m. Over in the east, Saturn is rising at 7:00 p.m. and is visible for most of the night. Look for Saturn near the moon on Monday night into Tuesday morning.
Jupiter is now rising shortly before midnight as it heads towards opposition in early December. Mars is rising at 1:10 a.m. and Mercury is rising at 6:30 a.m., about 50 minutes before sunrise.
The Autumnal Equinox for the northern hemisphere occurs in Austin at 7:43 a.m. on Sunday September 22 and on that day, the sun will rise due east and set due west, and the day and night are nearly equal. After the equinox, the nights will become longer than the days until we reach the winter solstice in December.
Public viewing at the 16-inch reflector on top of 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.
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.
