What’s Up in the September Sky

AAA Autumn Starfest on the evening sky on 7 September 2019. Sky Safari star chart annotated with (Annotable) by Peter Tagatac

September’s Evening Planets:

Bright Venus and Mercury will be up during the last week of September in Virgo the Maiden for about 1 hour after sunset close to the horizon.

Jupiter will be between Scorpius the Scorpion and Ophiuchus the Serpent bearer until midnight and setting earlier every night until 10 PM by the end of September. Saturn will be in Sagittarius the Archer until 2 AM and setting earlier every night until midnight by the end of the month. Neptune is in Aquarius the Water bearer and Uranus will be in Pisces the Fish all night. Dwarf Pluto is in Sagittarius the Archer all night.

September’s Evening Stars:

Spot the Summer Triangle of Vega in Lyra the Harp, Deneb in Cygnus the Swan, and Altair in Aquila the Eagle all night, every night.
Antares in Scorpius the Scorpion will be up until 9 PM. Spot Arcturus in Boötes the Herdsman and the stars of constellations Andromeda, Perseus, Hercules,  Pegasus, Draco, Cepheus, Cassiopeia, Sagittarius, Aquarius, Capricornus, and
Ursa Major and Ursa Minor (the Big and Little Dippers).

September’s Morning Planets:

Bright Mars will be up in Virgo the Maiden as of 6 AM in the last week of September. Neptune is in Aquarius the Water bearer and Uranus will be in Pisces the Fish until the morning.

September’s Morning Stars:

Sirius, the brightest star viewed from Earth, will be up around 4:00 am every morning, and earlier every day rising at 2:00 AM by the end of September.

Spot Vega in Lyra the Harp, Capella in Auriga the charioteer, and the stars of Aquarius, Cetus, Taurus, Gemini, Orion, Pegasus, Andromeda, Cassiopeia, Cepheus, Draco, Perseus, and Ursa Major and Ursa Minor (the Big and Little Dippers).

  • September Skylights
  • Sep   3  Mercury in superior conjunction
  • Sep   5  First Quarter Moon at 11:10 PM
  • Sep   6  Jupiter is 2° south of the Moon, pre-dawn
  • Sep  10  Neptune at opposition, closest to Earth in 2019 the night before
  • Sep  13  Moon at apogee (252,500 miles away)
  • Sep  14  Full Moon at 12:35 AM
  • Sep  21  Last Quarter Moon at 10:40 PM
  • Sep  23  Autumnal equinox at 3:50 AM
  • Sep  27   Moon at perigee (222,300 miles away)
  • Sep  28   New Moon at  2:25 PM

Times given in EDT.