Welcome to the University of Texas Skywatchers Report for Monday February 23rd through Sunday March 1st.

The moon is at first quarter on early on Tuesday the 24th and then we’ll have a waxing gibbous moon in the evening skies for the rest of the week.

Venus continues to climb away from the sun and into the early evening skies but is still setting a little under an hour after the sun.

Mercury is starting to move back towards the sun after greatest elongation late last week and is going to be more difficult to see this week as it sets just over an hour after the sun.

Saturn is getting lower in the west at sunset and is setting at 8:10 p.m. at midweek.

Jupiter is high in the southeast as the sky darkens after sunset and is setting at 4:10 a.m. Look for Jupiter near the moon on Thursday night.

Mars is still up just half an hour before sunrise and is lost in the morning twilight.

In space anniversaries this week, Sunday March 1st marks 60 years since the Soviet Venera 3 mission failed to soft land on the planet Venus. The entry probe ended up crashing into Venus but was still the first human made object to touch the surface of another planet.

And 15 years ago on February 24, the space shuttle Discovery launched on its final mission, which landed 12 days later on March 9. After the spacecraft was officially decommissioned, it was transferred to the Udvar-Hazy Center of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, replacing the shuttle Enterprise, which was transferred to the Intrepid Museum in New York City.

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.