Welcome to SkyEye, your guide to this month's celestial events. All dates are based on Universal Time (UT).
There are no eclipses this month.
Earth gets it best glimpse of the Sun's north pole on 8 September. The equinox occurs on 22 September, marking the beginning of autumn in the northern hemisphere and the start of spring in the south. As seen from the Earth, the Sun is moving from the constellation Leo to the constellation Virgo.
The phases of the Moon are
| Full : |
2 September
|
| Last Quarter : |
10 September
|
| New : |
17 September
|
| First Quarter : |
24 September
|
The Moon is at apogee on 2 September and at perigee on 17 September.
Every month since May, both Saturn and Jupiter have been occulted by the Moon. This time, at 13 UT on 10 September, the west coast of the United States will be able to see Saturn disappear behind the our satellite. Jupiter slides behind the limb of the Moon two days later but this event is visible only from the Arctic.
The word planet is derived from the Greek word for "wanderer." Unlike the background stars, planets seem to move around the sky, keeping mostly to a narrow track called the ecliptic, the path of the Sun across the stars.
- Mercury
- Mercury is leaping into the western sky after sunset for southern hemisphere viewers, reaching greatest elongation east on 18 September. Try your luck spotting this elusive planet after sundown in the constellation Virgo.
- Venus
- The "morning star" is continuing to fall toward the rising Sun and is best seen from the northern hemisphere. Moving from the constellation Cancer to the constellation Leo, Venus glides close by first-magnitude star Regulus on 20 September.
- Mars
- Look for Mars in the evening as it moves through the constellation Sagittarius.
- Jupiter
- A polar bear or two might see Jupiter's occultation by the Moon on 12 September. The largest planet in the solar system rises around midnight in the constellation Gemini.
- Saturn
- It's a busy month for the ringed planet. Saturn reaches west quadrature on 7 September, making this the perfect time to look for the interesting interplay of shadows between planet, rings and satellites. Three days later, observers in the western United States can watch Saturn slip behind the face of the Moon. This giant planet begins retrograde motion on 27 September. Look for it in the general vicinity of Jupiter in the constellation Taurus.
- Uranus
- Uranus is up most of the night in the constellation Capricornus.
- Neptune
- You can find Neptune not far from Uranus in the constellation Capricornus.
- Pluto
- Reaching east quadrature on 5 September, Pluto sets in the evening hours in the constellation Ophiuchus. However, because it is so small and faint, a large telescope is always needed to see it.
- Minor Planets
- A number of interesting minor planets populate the solar system.
- Comets
- There are no naked-eye comets visible this month. However, comet 19P/Borrelly reaches perihelion on 14 September in the constellation Gemini. A telescope will be necessary to view this visitor on its latest appointment with the inner solar system as it is expected to be no brighter than ninth magnitude.
- Meteors
- Two meteor showers this month suffer greatly from interference from the Full Moon. The alpha Aurigids peak on the first day of the month and the delta Aurigids peak one week later.
Constellations are patterns of stars in the sky. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) recognises 88 different constellations. The brightest stars as seen from the Earth are easy to spot but do you know their proper names? With a set of binoculars you can look for fainter objects such as nebulae and galaxies or some of the closest stars to the Sun.
Descriptions of the sky for observers in both the northern and southern hemispheres are available for the following times this month. Subtract one hour from your local time if daylight savings time is in effect. (Note: These times are approximate.)
Northern Hemisphere : 45° N
- 1730 hours (1830 hours daylight savings)
- 1930 hours (2030 hours daylight savings)
- 2130 hours (2230 hours daylight savings)
- 2330 hours (0030 hours daylight savings)
- 0130 hours (0230 hours daylight savings)
- 0330 hours (0430 hours daylight savings)
- 0530 hours (0630 hours daylight savings)
Southern Hemisphere : 30° S
- 1730 hours (1830 hours daylight savings)
- 1930 hours (2030 hours daylight savings)
- 2130 hours (2230 hours daylight savings)
- 2330 hours (0030 hours daylight savings)
- 0130 hours (0230 hours daylight savings)
- 0330 hours (0430 hours daylight savings)
- 0530 hours (0630 hours daylight savings)
- Consult our online glossary for non-technical explanations of many of the astronomical terms used in these pages.
- Blue moons, eclipses, the dates of Easter and much more can be found at the Interactive Astronomy Pages.
- For more information about the objects and events described in SkyEye, visit these astronomy-related sites.
Credits
Much of this information can be found in this month's issue of Sky & Telescope and in other fine amateur astronomy magazines available in your local bookshop. Another excellent source is the current edition of the Astronomical Calendar by Guy Ottewell and published by the Universal Workshop at Furman University.
The image of the Sun in the SkyEye banner is courtesy of the SOHO/EIT consortium. SOHO is a project of international cooperation between ESA and NASA. Used with permission.
Copyright © 1995-2001 by David Harper and L.M. Stockman
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Last modified on 31 August 2001
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