Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday September 19 through Sunday September 25.
The new moon for the month of September is on the afternoon of Sunday the 25th, so we’ll have a waning crescent moon in our pre-dawn skies all week.
Mercury is in inferior conjunction on Friday when it will pass between the Earth and the Sun and then slowly begin to emerge in our morning skies.
Saturn is rising at 5:30 p.m. and sets at 4:20 a.m. so it is still visible for most of the night. Jupiter is rising at 7:40 p.m. at midweek, just a few minutes after sunset.
Mars is rising at 11:30 p.m. and continues to grow in size and brightness as our two planets move closer to one another. Venus is rising just 35 minutes before the sun and is now lost in the sun’s glare.
The autumnal equinox for the northern hemisphere occurs at 8:03 p.m. Central Daylight Time on September 22. On this day, the sun crosses the celestial equator, and the amount of daylight and nighttime are roughly equal.
In space anniversaries this week, Sunday September 25 marks 30 years since the launch of the Mars Observer spacecraft. Communication was lost with the mission on August 21 of the following year, a few days before it was due to enter Martian orbit. The likely cause of failure was the rupture of a fuel pressurization tank.
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 from currently 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.
Please note that there will be no Painter Telescope viewing on Saturday evenings when the UT football team has a night home game. Logon to TexasSports.com to check the football schedule.
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.
