Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers' Report for October 6th through the 12th.
The full moon for the month of October is on the night of Thursday the 9th into the morning hours of the 10th depending on your time zone. This full moon is known as the Hunter's Moon. The Harvest Moon was last month since it occurred closer to the Autumnal Equinox than this month's.
Mars continues to shine brightly in the south-southeast at the end of evening twilight.
The Draconid meteor shower peaks on the night of the 8th into the morning hours of the 9th. This shower doesn't usually produce a large number of meteors and will also be hampered by the nearly full moon. Better opportunities for meteor shower watching are just around the corner though, with the peak of the Orionids later this month and the Leonids next month.
The Department of Astronomy and the American Astronomical Society will be hosting a free public lecture on Friday October 17th at 7:00 p.m. in Welch 2.224. The talk will be given by Alex Filippenko of the University of California Berkeley entitled "Einstein's Biggest Blunder? The Case for Cosmic 'Anitgravity'". The talk is part of a two-day event honoring the retirement of Frank Bash as director of McDonald Observatory.
For more skywatching tips for the week check out stardate.org
The telescope at Robert Lee Moore Hall is open to the public on Wednesday nights starting at 9:00 p.m. RLM is located on the southeast corner of Dean Keeton and Speedway. Take the elevators to the 17th floor and follow the signs to the telescope. The Wednesday night viewing will move to 8 p.m. starting September 17th.
The telescope at Painter hall is open on Fridays for UT students, faculty and staff and Saturdays are open for the general public, both currently running from 9 to 11 p.m. Painter Hall is located on 24th street about half way between Speedway and Guadalupe.
All events are free and open to all ages and no reservations are required. Observing events are weather permitting. Please call 232-4265 for up-to-date cancellation information.
Please note that star party times change throughout the year. Please call this recording to check times before planning a visit to the telescopes.
Thank you for calling the University of Texas Skywatchers' Report.
