Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday November 7 through Sunday November 13.
The full moon for the month of November is on Tuesday the 8th and then we’ll have a waning gibbous moon for the remainder of the week. This full moon is known as the Frost Moon and the Snow Moon.
And the Earth, Moon, and Sun are still in alignment after the solar eclipse at the New Moon that we’ll see a lunar eclipse with this Full Moon. And, unlike the solar eclipse, we will get to see the lunar eclipse here in Texas, although you’ll have to get up early in the morning to see it. The partial eclipse will begin at 3:09 a.m. and totality will begin at 4:17 a.m. The moon will move out of totality at 5:42 a.m. and the partial eclipse will end just as the moon sets here in Austin a bit before 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday morning.
Venus is still emerging from conjunction and sets about 25 minutes after the sun. Saturn is up in the south-southwest at 8:00 p.m. and is setting at midnight. Jupiter is up in the south-southeast at 8:00 p.m. and is setting at 3:10 a.m.
Mars is rising at 7:40 p.m. this week and is now at magnitude -1.5 and 16.1 arcseconds in size. Look for Mars below the moon on Thursday night and above and to the right of the moon on Friday night.
Uranus is at opposition on Wednesday and will rise at sunset and set at sunrise and will be visible all night long. You’ll need at least binoculars and a finder chart to see the 7th planet.
Mercury is in superior conjunction with the sun this week and will pass behind the Sun from the Earth’s perspective.
In space anniversaries this week, Wednesday November 9th marks 55 years since the launch of the uncrewed Apollo 4 mission, which was the first test flight of the Saturn V rocket that would eventually take humans to the moon.
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 from 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.
