Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday November 14th through Sunday November 20th.
The moon is at third quarter on Wednesday the 16th so we’ll start the week with a waning gibbous moon and finish with a waning crescent moon.
Mercury and Venus are both setting just a few minutes after sunset as they emerge from solar conjunction.
Saturn is up in the south-southwest at 7:00 p.m. and is setting at 11:35 p.m. at midweek. Jupiter is shining brightly high in the southeast at 7:00 p.m. and is setting at 2:40 a.m. at midweek.
Mars is rising at 7:10 p.m. at midweek and is now at magnitude -1.6 and 16.7 arcseconds in size and is now just a couple of weeks away from its closest approach to the Earth since 2020.
The Leonids meteor shower peaks on Thursday night into Friday morning and this year there won’t be as much interference by moonlight, although some fainter steaks might be washed out. The shower gets its name because the meteors appear to come from a point in the constellation Leo the Lion, which is above the horizon by 2:00 a.m. The meteors are caused by the Earth passing through the debris of the comet Tempel-Tuttle.
In space anniversaries this week, Saturday the 19th marks 25 years since the launch of the space shuttle Columbia carrying the US Microgravity Payload. The mission was in orbit for over two weeks and conducted a variety of experiments and had two EVAs, including the first EVA performed by a Japanese astronaut.
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 currently 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.
There will be no public viewing on UT campus telescope next week due to the Thanksgiving holiday and UT fall break.
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.
