Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday February 16th through Sunday February 22nd.

The moon will be new on Tuesday the 17th and then we’ll have a waxing crescent moon in the early evening skies for the remainder of the week. This new moon marks the beginning of Lent, Ramadan, and the Lunar New Year for 2026.

And with this new moon, the Earth, Moon, and Sun are aligned so that some parts of the planet will see a solar eclipse. This will be an annular eclipse, where the moon’s angular size isn’t large enough to block the entire disk of the sun, but that view will mostly be observed by penguins, as Antarctica is the only landmass that will see it. A partial solar eclipse will be visible at the southern tip of South America, southeastern Africa, and the island of Madagascar.

Venus is still very low in the west at sunset and is setting at 7:10 p.m., just 50 minutes after the sun.

Mercury is a little above Venus and is at greatest elongation on Thursday, which will be a good time to try to spot it if you have a good view of the western horizon. Mercury is setting at 7:45 p.m. on Thursday, an hour and 20 minutes after the sun.

Saturn is a bit above Mercury and is setting at 8:35 p.m. Look for a very thin crescent moon alongside Saturn on Thursday evening.

Jupiter is shining brightly in the east at sundown and is setting at 4:40 a.m.

Mars is rising at 6:45 a.m., still only 20 minutes before sunrise.

In space anniversaries this week, Thursday February 19th marks 40 years since the launch of the first modules of the Soviet Space Station Mir. Over its 15 years in operation, the station hosted astronauts from many nations, including seven Americans who participated in long duration stays. Mir was deorbited on March 23, 2001, with most of its debris landing in the South Pacific Ocean.

Public viewing at the Physics, Math, and Astronomy building is on Wednesday nights 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 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 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.