September 2009
With the nights growing longer and the weather a bit cooler, September is one of the best months of the year for skywatching. The signature constellations of summer, sinuous Scorpius and teapot-shaped Sagittarius, remain in good view in the south and southwest during the evening hours. Sagittarius anchors the southern end of the Milky Way, which arches high overhead. Three planets are in good view, with Jupiter visible almost all night, and Venus and Mars pulling away from each other in the pre-dawn hours.
1-2 Jupiter is to the lower left of the Moon as night falls on the 1st, and closer to its upper right on the 2nd.
4 Saturn’s rings turn edge-on toward Earth. The planet is too close to the Sun to view, however.
13-14 Mars rises just below the Moon on the morning of the 13th (around 1-2 a.m.), and a little farther above it on the 14th. Pollux and Castor, the twin stars of Gemini, align to the left of the Moon on the 14th.
15-16 Venus, the “morning star,” is to the lower left of the Moon at first light on the 15th, with Mars above the Moon. Venus is close to the left of the Moon on the 16th. Regulus is to their lower left.
17 The planet Uranus is at opposition. It rises at sunset, sets at sunrise, and is brightest for the year. It is visible through binoculars.
17 Saturn is in conjunction, passing behind the Sun.
19-21 Venus passes by Regulus in the early morning sky. Venus is above Regulus on the 19th, beside the star on the 20th, and below it on the 21st.
22 The autumnal equinox occurs at 4:19 p.m. CDT, marking the beginning of fall in the northern hemisphere.
23-24 The Moon and orange Antares huddle close in the evening.
29 Brilliant Jupiter is quite close to the lower right of the Moon.
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* Lunar phase times are listed for the U.S. Central Time Zone.
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