I hope you were all able to see the solar eclipse last month! It was truly an amazing sight to see even for those not interested in astronomy.
September may not seem as exciting compared with August and the Total Solar Eclipse, but it is still nice to get out under the stars before the weather turns too cold.
Mercury can still be found in the morning hours just before the Sun rises. It reaches its highest point in the morning sky on the 12th which should make it easier to spot, especially if you don't have a flat eastern horizon. Mercury lies in the constellation of Leo the Lion.
Venus will also be visible in the morning hours. It will be much easier to spot due to its brightness. After the 10th, it will join Mercury in the constellation of Leo.
Mars will return to the sky this month, however it will be in the morning sky with Mercury and Venus. It will join with the previously mentioned planets in the the constellation of Leo, creating quite the trio of morning planets. If three planets weren't enough, the Moon will join the trio from the 17th until the 18th. Be sure to give the morning sky a look on these dates!
Jupiter will remain in the evening sky but not for much longer. As the month goes on, Jupiter will set earlier and earlier each night. The surface details, such as the cloud bands and the Great Red Spot will be harder to spot since it will lie lower in the sky. With binoculars, you should still be able to see Jupiter's largest four moons.
Saturn will be visible all month but will set by 12:30 a.m. during the first week. By months end, it will set by 11:00 p.m. The rings will be tilted to offer great telescopic views. You should even be able to see a few of its largest moons including Titan.
Uranus will rise a couple of hours after sunset during September. You can see this distant planet with the naked eye if you can get away from light pollution. It also shows up nicely in a pair of binoculars.
Finally, Neptune will reach opposition this month, which means it will rise in the East as the Sun sets in the West. It will reach opposition on the 4th but competes with the full Moon on this night. However, Neptune will still still shine at the same magnitude all month. You will need a pair of binoculars or a telescope to spot this world.
September will bring the Aurigid Meteor Shower. This isn't as spectacular as the Perseids from last month but will hopefully still be worthwhile to view. It will peak during the first night of the month which offers approximately 6 meteors per hour. Wait until the Moon sets to increase your viewing experience. This shower appears to radiate from the constellation of Auriga which can be found between Orion and Ursa Major.
Comet PANSTARRS (C/2015 ER61) will be visible this month if you have a telescope. It can be found near the Pleiades star cluster which rises in the East around midnight. If you are able to wait a few more hours or if you wake up early in the morning, you will be able to see Orion returning to our skies.
Additionally, there are many great globular clusters, galaxies, and other wonders of the Milky Way that can be viewed. One of my favorite things to do before owing a telescope was to point my binoculars to the Milky Way band. It's amazing how many more stars you can see! If you are able to get to a dark sky, you should even be able to see the Andromeda Galaxy, our closest neighboring galaxy, with your naked eyes. Using a pair of binoculars on this target will enhance your view while a telescope should be able to reveal some of the dust lanes.
Here is the breakdown for September:
September 01: Aurigid Meteor Shower peaks; look between Orion and Ursa Major
September 05: Neptune at opposition
September 06: Full Moon
September 12: Mercury reaches highest point in eastern sky
September 17: Moon lies close to Venus, Mars, and Mercury
September 20: New Moon
The history report for this month will be fairly short. This month was mostly filled with space probes making flybys. On the first, in 1979, the Pioneer 11 probe was the first probe to fly by Saturn. We currently have another mission there named Cassini. Sadly, this mission will come to an end this month on the 15th. The mission started in 2004. For more information and to read about the great discoveries and achievements of Cassini, click here.
On September 3, 1976, Viking 2 landed on Mars. This mission returned many images from the orbit and the surface of Mars. The lander was shut down in 1980 due to failing batteries.
On the 21st in 1974 the Mariner 10 spacecraft completed its second fly by of the planet Mercury Mariner 10 was the first spacecraft that used the gravity from another planet (Venus) to assist it to get to another planet (Mercury). It was also the first spacecraft to visit two planets. It returned the first ever close up images of Venus and Mercury.
To end this months history report, on the 23rd in 1846, Neptune was discovered. The discovery of the outer most planets, Uranus, Neptune, and the dwarf planet Pluto, take a couple of weeks or longer. Images or drawings have to be done of the stars in the field of view of the telescope and must be compared to each other over a long period of time. The people that discovered these planets had to be looking in the right place at the right time and be very dedicated.
Now get outside and look up!
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