Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday September 30th through Sunday October 6th.
The moon is at first quarter on Saturday October 5th, so we'll have a waxing crescent moon in our early evening skies for most of the week.
Venus is still low in the west after sunset and is setting just 40 minutes after the sun. Mercury has climbed a bit higher and is setting at 8:05 p.m. this week.
Jupiter is up in the southwest at nightfall and is setting at 11:00 p.m. this week. Look for Jupiter to the lower right of the crescent moon on Thursday night.
Saturn is high in the south after sunset and is setting at 12:50 a.m. this week. Look for Saturn to the right of the first quarter moon on Saturday night.
Mars is up in the morning skies and is rising just half an hour before the sun.
In space anniversaries this week, October 4th marks the 60th anniversary of the launch of Luna 3, the Soviet probe that became the first mission to photograph the far side of the moon.
And 35 years ago, the space shuttle Challenger launched with the first mission to include two women - Sally Ride and Kathryn Sullivan. On that mission, Sullivan became the first American woman to perform a spacewalk, coming just two months after Soviet cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya became the first woman to walk in space.
Public viewing at the 16-inch reflector on top of Robert Lee Moore Hall is on Wednesday nights currently from 8 to 10 p.m. RLM 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. 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.
