Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday November 11 through Sunday November 17.
The moon is full on Friday November 15th so we’ll have a waxing gibbous moon for the first part of the week and a waning gibbous moon for the weekend. This full moon is known as the Frost Moon and the Snow Moon.
Mercury is at greatest elongation early in the morning hours of Saturday the 16th and will be setting at 6:45 p.m., about an hour and 10 minutes after the sun.
Venus continues to shine brightly in the southwest at sundown and is setting a little after 8:00 p.m. this week.
Saturn is high in the southeast after sunset and is setting at 1:35 a.m. at midweek.
Jupiter is rising at little after 7:00 p.m. this week and is now just a few weeks away from opposition. Look for Jupiter near the moon on Saturday night into Sunday morning.
Mars is rising at 10:20 p.m. and is a little under two months away from closest approach to the Earth for this orbital cycle.
The Leonids meteor shower peaks late on the night of Saturday the 16th into the morning hours of Sunday the 17th. The Leonids are caused by the Earth passing through the debris of the Comet Tempel-Tuttle and get their name because they appear to come from a point in the constellation Leo. This year’s shower is expected to only have about 15 meteors an hour at the peak and will be diminished by the nearly full moon.
In space anniversaries this week, Tuesday November 12 marks 10 years since the Philae lander of the Rosetta mission became the first spacecraft soft land on a comet. Philae operated for a few days on comet Churyumov–Gerasimenko and then had sporadic communication signals until the official end of mission on July 9, 2015.
Public viewing at the 16-inch reflector on top of the Physics, Math, and Astronomy building is on Wednesday nights currently 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 currently 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.
