Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday September 28th through Sunday October 4th.
The moon is at last quarter on Saturday morning, so we’ll have a waning gibbous moon for most of this week and start into the waning crescent phase on Sunday.
Mercury and Venus are now both low in the west-southwest and are setting around 8:15 p.m. Venus is quite a bit brighter and easy to spot, so you can use it as a guide to find Mercury a few degrees to the right.
Saturn is at opposition on Saturday night when it will rise at sunset and set at sunrise and will be visible for the whole night. After opposition, Saturn will be higher in the east each night and will be well-placed for viewing in the early evening for the rest of the fall.
Mars is rising at 2:15 a.m. and Jupiter follows at 3:40 a.m. The two planets will slowly move closer to one another until they reach their smallest separation in mid-November.
In space anniversaries from last week, Wednesday September 23rd marks 180 years since the discovery of the planet Neptune, after it was predicted by observations of perturbations in Uranus’ orbit. John Couch Adams and Urbain Le Verrier both independently calculated the likely position of the planet, which was then subsequently observed on September 23, 1846, by Johann Gottfried Galle.
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 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.
