Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday September 22nd through Sunday September 28th.
The moon was new on Sunday the 21st and will reach first quarter on Monday the 29th, so we’ll have a waxing crescent moon in the early evening skies all of this week.
Mercury is still emerging from solar conjunction and setting just half an hour after the sun, so it is lost in the early evening twilight.
Mars continues to be visible low in the west-southwest at sunset and is setting at 8:45 p.m. Look for Mars to the right of the thin crescent moon on Wednesday evening.
After opposition last week, Saturn is now rising before sunset, so it is a little higher in the east as darkness falls. Saturn is setting at 7:05 a.m., so it continues to be visible for almost the entire night.
Jupiter is rising at 1:50 a.m. and is still in visible in the constellation Gemini.
Venus is rising at 5:25 a.m., about two hours before the sun.
The autumnal equinox occurs at 1:19 p.m. on Monday September 22n here in Austin when the sun passes the celestial equator, and the amount of daytime and nighttime are roughly equal. After the equinox, the nights will start to become longer than the days until we reach the winter solstice in December.
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.
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 times.
Thank you for calling the University of Texas Skywatchers Report.
