Southern Sky News for 2009 September

Planet overview for September

This September, the beautiful planet Jupiter can be seen in the evening sky soon after the Sun sets, shining brilliantly as the Evening Star.

Mercury is also in the evening sky, near the Sun, for the first half of the month. By mid-month it has moved too near the Sun for observation.

Saturn may be seen for the first few days of September in the west soon after sunset, but soon drops too low to be visible.

Mars rises early in the morning and is high in the north-east before sunrise.

Venus, as beautiful Morning Star, is visible shortly before daybreak, low in the north-eastern sky. It never gets very high above the horizon before the Sun rises.

Star gazers diary for September

Your daily guide to what's visible in the southern skies.

Date	Things to look out for
01	Soon after sunset, look for the large bright Moon high in the east. Jupiter lies below it. Look low in the west for Mercury and Saturn. Mercury is above, and brighter than, Saturn.
02	In the evening sky, Jupiter is next to the Moon, high in the east. In the very early morning sky, Venus is close to the Beehive star cluster.
03	Look out for the Moon on the eastern horizon around sunset. When night falls, notice Jupiter above the Moon. Saturn low in the west is very difficult to see.
04	It is Full Moon today (at 18:03). Look out for the Moon on the eastern horizon around sunset. Jupiter is high up above it.
05	Look out for the brilliant Moon on the horizon at nightfall.
08	Anniversary of the first recorded observation of Halley’s Comet from South Africa, in 1682, by Simon van der Stel.
10	In the morning sky, the Moon is near the Pleiades (Seven Sisters).
11	In the morning sky, the Moon is near the Pleiades. Aldebaran (the Eye of the Bull) is to the top-right of the Moon.
12	The Last Quarter Moon rises at midnight, sits high in the sky at daybreak, and sets at noon. See if you can spot it during the day. This morning, the Moon lies between the Pleiades and Mars. The little star closeby the Moon is Elnath.
13	Mars and the Moon are side-by-side in the morning sky.
14	In the morning sky, Mars is near the crescent Moon, which is above Castor and Pollux in Gemini.
15	Beautiful lunar crescent lies between Mars and Venus in the morning sky.
16	Venus lies near the very slender crescent Moon in the morning sky. The Moon is at its closest point to Earth this morning.
17	The thin crescent Moon lies below-right of Venus in the morning sky. The star between them is Regulus (in Leo).
18	New Moon.
19	The crescent Moon should be visible this evening shortly after sunset in the west, as seen from southern Africa. It will not be visible from Mecca.
20	In the evening sky, the slim crescent Moon is low in the west, with Spica (in Virgo) very close to its right. The bright star further to the right is Arcturus (in Bootes the Shepherd). Venus is very near Regulus shortly before daybreak.
21	The beautiful lunar crescent can be seen in the west at sunset, with Spica below it. Today is also H.G. Wells’ birthday (1866), famous for his book about an alien invasion from Mars. The Red Planet is prominent in the north-east in the morning sky, rising at around 03:00.
22	Soon after sunset, look for the crescent Moon in the west, midway between Spica (below it) and Antares (in Scorpius). Today is the spring equinox, when the lengths of day and night are approximately the same. Most people celebrate spring on September 1 – now you have a good reason for a second celebration!
23	The crescent Moon, within the Scorpion’s claws, can be seen in the west after sunset, with Antares just above it. Today is the anniversary of the founding of the South African Astronomical Observatory (1970) with the amalgamation of the Cape, Radcliffe and Republic Observatories.
24	Soon after sunset, look for the Moon high in the west, with Antares a short distance below it.
26	The First-Quarter Moon rises at noon and sets around midnight. It is high in the sky at sunset, midway between Jupiter and Antares.
27	The Moon is very high in the sky at sunset, with Jupiter below it to the east.
28	After sunset, the waxing Moon is high in the sky, with Jupiter nearby. Tonight the Moon is at its most distant point in its orbit.
29	The Moon and Jupiter are very close together in the sky tonight.
30	The Moon is high in the east at sunset, with Jupiter a short distance above it.

Happy star gazing!

/ph

Reader's comments

Posted by Bron on Saturday, 2009 September 12 @22:57.

I know this sounds like a silly thing to say but when you say 'morning sky' what sort of time are we talking about? Like 3am? 5am? or more like 7am? Thank you!

Reply by Auke on Saturday, 2009 August 12 @23:24.

Bron,

Good question! 'Morning' would be that part of the night after midnight but before sunrise. If an event occurs around sunrise, this will be specifically noted. Hope this helps!

Enjoy the night (and morning) skies,

Auke

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