September Skies
A brief overview of what to see in the sky with the unaided eye:
Stars and Constellations
● Cygnus and the nearby constellations of Cepheus and Pegasus are convenient to view during September evenings
● Cygnus is overhead after dusk and its brightest star, Deneb, is part of the summer triangle and easy to see from urban skies
● Cepheus lies to the north of Cygnus and Pegasus lies to the east of Cygnus
● Look for the other bright stars of the summer triangle, Vega (west of the zenith) and Altair (south of Cygnus)
● The summer Milky Way flows through the Cepheus and Cygnus constellations, and is a fine sight in dark skies overhead during early autumn evenings
Planets
● Mercury is visible very low in the eastern sky before sunrise only during the first week of September, and otherwise is not practically visible and reaches superior conjunction with the sun September 13
● Venus shines brilliantly in the eastern sky before sunrise
● Mars is visible very low in the western sky after sunset in the Virgo constellation
● Jupiter rises during early morning and is prominent in the eastern pre-dawn sky as a bright white light in the Gemini constellation
● Saturn rises during the evening and is in the southern sky around midnight in the Pisces constellation moving toward Aquarius. It reaches opposition September 21 and will be closest to Earth that day
Moon Phases
● Full Moon September 7, 14:09 EDT
● Last Quarter September 14, 06:33 EDT
● New Moon September 21, 15:54 EDT
● First Quarter September 29, 19:54 EDT
Noteworthy Sky Events
● September 19 morning: bright star Regulus and Venus appear close together with thin crescent moon
● September 22: Autumn equinox at 14:19 EDT
Sky Resources Online
Some website resources for sky charts, weekly sky events, and more information:
● astrogeo.ca/skylights
● www.heavens-above.com
● In-the-sky.org
● www.skyandtelescope.org
● www.skymaps.com
Star Chart for mid-September, mid-evening (courtesy of www.heavens-above.com):
