Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday September 23 through Sunday September 29.
The moon is at third quarter on Tuesday the 24th, so we’ll start the week with a waning gibbous moon and finish the week with a waning crescent moon in the early morning skies.
Venus continues to shine brightly in the west at sunset and is setting at 8:45 p.m.
Saturn is rising an hour before sunset, so it is now about 20 degrees above the horizon by the time the sky darkens after sunset.
Jupiter is rising at 11:30 p.m. and is to the right of the moon on Monday night into Tuesday morning.
Mars is rising at 1 a.m. and will be to the lower right of the moon on Wednesday morning.
Mercury is now lost in the sun’s glare as it heads towards conjunction early next week.
In space anniversaries this week, September 23rd marks 25 years since the loss of the Mars Climate Orbiter spacecraft as it attempted to enter orbit around the Red Planet. An error in measurements systems caused the spacecraft to get too close to the planet, so it either missed and ended up in a heliocentric orbit or burned up in Mars’s atmosphere.
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.
