What’s Up in the Sky – September 2024

AAA Observers’ September Guide

September’s Evening Planets: Bright Venus will be up in Virgo the Maiden until around 9 PM. Mercury will be in Virgo the Maiden in the first week of September as of 5 AM. Find Jupiter in Taurus the Bull as of midnight and rising earlier every night until 10 PM by the end of the month. Saturn will be in Aquarius the Water-bearer all night. Uranus will be in Taurus the Bull as of 10 PM and rising earlier every night. Neptune is 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. Capella in Auriga the charioteer will be up around 10 PM and linger all night. Antares in Scorpio the Scorpion will be up until around 9 PM. Spot the stars of constellations Andromeda, Cassiopeia, Perseus, Cepheus, Hercules, Pegasus, Draco, Sagittarius, Aquarius, Capricornus and Ursa Major and Ursa Minor (the Big and Little Dippers).

September’s Morning Planets:. Jupiter will be in Taurus the Bull and linger until sunrise. Saturn will be in Aquarius the Water-bearer until 6 AM and setting earlier every night. Red Mars will be in Gemini the Twins until sunrise. Neptune will be in Pisces the Fish and Uranus will be in Taurus the Bull until the morning.

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

• Sept 1 Moon is 5° above Mercury – Predawn
• Sept 2 New Moon at  9:55 PM
• Sept 5 Venus is 1° above the Moon – Predawn
• Sept 5 Moon at apogee (252,400 miles away)
• Sept 8 Venus at opposition, Brightest in 2024
• Sept 11 First Quarter Moon at 2:05 AM
• Sept 17  Moon is 1/3° above Saturn – Predawn
• Sept 17  Full Moon at 10:35 PM
• Sept 17  Partial Lunar eclipse, Max at 10:45 PM
• Sept 18  Moon at perigee (222,000 miles away)
• Sept 22  Autumnal equinox at 8:45 AM
• Sept 20  Neptune at opposition, closest to Earth in 2024
• Sept 24  Last Quarter Moon at 2:50 PM