Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday November 4 through Sunday November 10.
The moon is at first quarter late on Friday night into Saturday morning, so we’ll have a waxing crescent moon in our early evening skies for most of the week.
Mercury is low in the west-southwest at sunset and is setting at 6:40 p.m. at midweek. Mercury will slowly move towards the bright star Antares in the constellation Scorpius through most of the week.
Venus is shining brightly in the southwest at sunset and is setting at 8:00 p.m. this week. Look for the thin crescent moon just below Venus on Monday night.
Saturn is up in the southeast in the early evening and is setting at 2:05 a.m. at midweek. Look for Saturn just off the limb of the moon on Sunday night and some parts of the Earth will see Saturn dip behind the moon in what is known as an occultation.
Jupiter is rising at 7:35 p.m. at midweek and then is visible for the rest of the night.
Mars is rising at 10:40 p.m. and has now increased to 0 magnitude in brightness and nearly 10 arcseconds in size as the Earth and Mars move closer together in their orbits.
In space anniversaries this week, Tuesday November 5th marks 60 years since the launch of the Mariner 3 spacecraft that was planned to be a flyby mission to Mars. After a successful launch, the spacecraft failed to properly separate, and the mission failed. However, Mariner 3 had a twin spacecraft - Mariner 4 - which would successfully launch a few weeks later.
Public viewing at the 16-inch reflector on top of the Physics, Math, and Astronomy building is on Wednesday nights now from 7 to 9 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 now from 7 to 9 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 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.
