Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday December 5th through Sunday December 11th.
The full moon for the month of December is on the night of Wednesday the 7th so we’ll start the week with a waxing gibbous moon and finish with a waning gibbous moon. The full moon for the month of December is known as the Long Night Moon and the Moon Before Yule.
Mercury and Venus are still low in the west at sundown but continue to move away from the Sun. Venus sets at 6:15 p.m., about 45 minutes after the Sun and Mercury sets about 15 minutes after Venus.
Saturn is in the southwest at 7:00 p.m. and is setting at 10:15 p.m. at midweek. Jupiter is shining brightly high in the south at 7:00 p.m. and is setting at 1:20 a.m.
Mars is at opposition on the night of the 7th and is rising at sunset alongside the full moon. A few hours after Mars and the Moon rise, some viewers will see Mars duck behind the Moon in what is known as an occultation and luckily, we’ll get to see it here in Texas. For Austin, Mars will begin to duck behind the moon just a few minutes before 9 p.m. and then will reemerge about 15 minutes later.
In space anniversaries this week, Wednesday December 7th marks 50 years since the launch of the final Apollo mission to the moon. On Apollo 17, Astronauts Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmidt spent three days on the lunar surface while Ronald Evans orbited in the command module. The mission returned to Earth on December 19 and was recovered by the USS Ticonderoga. Cernan is currently the last human to walk on 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 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.
This week will be the final week of public viewing on UT campus telescopes for the fall semester. 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.
