Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday October 28th through Sunday November 3rd.
The new moon for the month of October was late on Sunday October 27th and we'll reach first quarter on Monday November 4th, so we'll have a waxing crescent moon in our early evening skies for the whole week.
Mercury and Venus are low in the west-southwest after sunset and setting about an hour after the sun. Mercury is sinking back towards the sun while Venus is moving higher in our skies. A very thin crescent moon will be above Mercury and Venus on Tuesday evening.
Jupiter is in the southwest at sunset and is setting at 9:25 p.m. this week. Jupiter will be to the lower right of the crescent moon on Thursday night.
Saturn is up in the south-southwest in the early evenings and is setting at 11:05 p.m. Saturn will be to the upper left of the crescent moon on Friday night.
The planet Uranus is at opposition on Monday the 28th so it will rise at sunset and set at sunrise and will be visible all night long. Uranus is just a bit fainter than what can be seen with the naked eye in dark skies, so you will need a finder chart and binoculars or a small telescope to see it.
Daylight saving time ends early on the morning of Sunday November 3rd when we repeat the 1:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. hour and return to Standard Time.
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 from currently 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 public viewing nights will change to 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. next week as we return to Standard Time.
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.
