Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday October 28 through Sunday November 3.
The moon is new early on the morning of Friday November 1st so we will have a waning crescent moon in the pre-dawn skies to start the week and then a very slim waxing crescent moon will appear in our early evening skies at the weekend.
Mercury continues to move away from the sun after its last conjunction and is now setting nearly an hour after sunset by the end of the week.
Venus is still shining brightly low in the southwest at sunset and is setting at 8:50 p.m. at midweek.
Saturn is up in the southeast as the sky darkens after sunset and is setting at 3:30 a.m. at midweek.
Jupiter is rising at 9:05 p.m. at midweek and is now just over a month away from opposition and its closest approach to Earth for this year. Mars follows, rising at 11:55 p.m.
Daylight saving time ends early on the morning of Sunday November 3 when we will repeat the 1:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. hour and return to Standard Time.
In space anniversaries this week, Sunday November 3rd marks 30 years since the launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis carrying the Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Sciences 3 instrument. ATLAS-3, among other measurements, contributed to the monitoring of Earth’s ozone depletion, which was just beginning to recover after the international ban on CFCs in 1989. The mission returned to Earth on November 14 after nearly 11 days on orbit.
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 public viewing events on UT campus telescopes will move to 7 to 9 p.m. starting next week due to the 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.
