Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday October 5th through Sunday October 11th.

The new moon for the month of October is on Saturday the 10th so we’ll have a waning crescent moon in the pre-dawn skies for most of this week.

Venus is quickly moving back towards the sun and its next conjunction in a couple of weeks, so you’ll have to get a view of it shortly after sunset this week. Venus is setting at 7:55 p.m. on Monday and at 7:25 p.m. by Sunday

Mercury is above Venus this week and is setting at 8:10 p.m. at midweek.

Over in the east, Saturn is rising at 7 p.m. and is about 25 degrees above the horizon by 9 p.m. before setting a little before dawn.

Mars is rising at 2:05 a.m. at midweek, followed by Jupiter at 3:15 a.m. The waning crescent moon be near Mars on Monday morning and will pass in front of Jupiter on Tuesday morning in what is known as an occultation. For Austin, the occultation will start just as Jupiter and the Moon are rising, but we will see Jupiter reappear from behind the Moon a little after 4 a.m.

In space anniversaries this week, Saturday October 10th marks 180 years since William Lassell discovered Triton, the largest moon of Neptune, just two and a half weeks after the planet itself was first observed. To date, Voyager 2 is the only spacecraft to visit the Neptune system, although several future missions have been proposed.

Public viewing at the Physics, Math, and Astronomy building is on Wednesday nights currently from 8 to 10 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 8 to 10 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 star party status information, which is updated 30 to 45 minutes before the scheduled viewing start times.

Thank you for calling the University of Texas Skywatchers Report.