texas

skywatchers report


Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday November 28th through Sunday December 4th.

The moon is at first quarter on Wednesday the 30th so we’ll have a waxing crescent moon for the first part of the week and a waxing gibbous moon for the remainder of the week.

Mercury and Venus are still close to one another very low in the west after sunset and are setting just 35 minutes after the sun.

Saturn is up in the south-southwest at 7:00 p.m. and is setting at 10:40 p.m. Look for Saturn above the crescent moon on Monday night.

Jupiter is still shining brightly in the south-southeast at 7:00 p.m. and is setting at 1:45 a.m. Look for Jupiter above the moon on Thursday night.

Mars is at its closest approach to Earth since 2020 on December 1 and is now at magnitude -1.8 and 17.2 arcseconds in size. At closest approach, Mars will be a bit over 50 million miles, or 80 million kilometers, from the Earth, which translates to about 4 and a half light minutes way. Because of the orbits of Earth and Mars, the two planets have their closest approach to one another about every 26 months and how close that approach is varies over a 15-to-17-year cycle. The closest close approach of this cycle was in 2018 and the next best one will be in 2035.

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.

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.

Next week will be the final week of public viewing on UT campus telescopes for 2022. Spring semester viewing will start in mid-January. Please check back for details on starting dates and times.

Thank you for calling the University of Texas Skywatchers Report.