Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday November 11th through Sunday November 17th
The full moon for the month of November is on Tuesday the 12th and after that we'll have a waning gibbous moon for the rest of the week. This full moon is known as the Frost Moon and the Snow Moon.
Mercury is in inferior conjunction with the sun on Monday November 11. The Sun, Mercury, and the Earth were aligned just right for us to see Mercury cross the Sun's disk at this conjunction in what is known as a transit. The next Mercury transit will be in November 2032 but the next one visible in the United States won't be until May 2049.
Venus is shining brightly low in the west after sunset and is setting at 7:00 p.m. this week
Jupiter is above and to the left of Venus and is setting at 7:45 p.m. this week.
Saturn is up in the southwest at sunset and is setting at 9:15 p.m. at midweek.
Over in the morning skies, Mars is rising at 5 a.m., about two hours before the sun.
The Leonids meteor shower peaks late on the night of Sunday November 17 into the morning hours of Monday the 18th. This year the shower is only expected to have 15-20 meteors an hour at its peak and there will be interference from the third quarter moon.
Public viewing at the 16-inch reflector on top of Robert Lee Moore Hall is on Wednesday nights from 7 to 9 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 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. 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 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.
