September’s night sky features the Moon near Antares and the Teapot, Venus at peak brilliance, the September equinox, and International Observe the Moon Night. Night sky: What you can see this month: https://www.space.com/16149-night-sky...
On September 26, the Harvest Moon rises near Saturn, with faint Neptune forming a wide triangle nearby. Best night sky events this month - stargazing maps: https://www.space.com/33974-best-nigh...
September's celestial calendar features the moon's journey through Scorpius and Sagittarius, the peak brilliance of Venus, and the September Equinox. Highlights include International Observe the Moon Night and the Harvest Moon's alignment with Saturn and Neptune.
The moon joins a tea party, Venus cranks up the brightness, the seasons officially change,
and the harvest moon meets up with some planetary neighbors. That's what's up for September.
From September 14th through 20th, let the moon guide you to a few celestial landmarks.
About an hour after sunset, look south to find the moon in the evening sky.
Night by night, the moon shifts positions against the background stars,
passing near Antares. This bright, reddish star marks the heart of the constellation Scorpius.
Next you'll see the teapot, a group of stars in neighboring Sagittarius that really does
resemble a teapot, complete with a handle, lid, and spout. If you're under an especially dark sky,
you may see hazy steam rising from the teapot's spout. Follow that steam to its thickest part,
and you'll be looking toward the center of our Milky Way galaxy.
Look west on September 18th as Venus hits peak brilliance. You won't have to search hard to find
it. Shortly after sunset, Venus will stand out as a brilliant point of light, low above the western
horizon, outshining every star around it. A clear view of the horizon will give you the best chance
to catch it before it sets. Then on September 19th, celebrate International Observe the Moon
Night. People around the world are invited to look up and connect with our nearest celestial
neighbor while learning more about lunar science, exploration, and the many ways the moon has shaped
cultures around the world. Find an event near you, or learn how to participate from wherever you are
at go.nasa.gov slash observe the moon. On September 22nd, it's officially fall in the
Northern Hemisphere, while spring begins in the Southern Hemisphere. That's the September
Equinox, when the sun is directly above Earth's equator. Around the world, day and night are close
to equal in length. From there, daylight keeps getting shorter in the Northern Hemisphere
and longer in the Southern Hemisphere. And on September 26th, the Harvest Moon takes center
stage, rising in the east shortly after sunset. It won't be alone. Saturn appears nearby,
with faint Neptune completing a wide triangle in the sky. Saturn is the easy one. You can see it
with just your eyes. Neptune is a bit more challenging. At around magnitude 8, it's too
faint to see with the unaided eye. So you'll need a pair of binoculars or a telescope to spot it.
Darker skies and good observing conditions can help bring it into view.
Here are the phases of the moon for September. You can stay up to date on all of NASA's missions
exploring the solar system and beyond at science.nasa.gov. I'm Raquel Villanueva from
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and that's What's Up this month.
