Introduction and Monthly Reminders
September has started off much hotter than usual. Utah broke a few heat records for the month with temperatures reaching 105° F. During this writing, a cold front has entered the state, cooling the temperature down to close to the average temperatures for this time of year. Unfortunately, the cold front has also brought in smoke from wildfires in Idaho. Hopefully, the smoke will not linger long and we can enjoy some cool clear nights!
September still has two planetary oppositions to show us as well as the zodiacal light. First, we have Neptune which reaches opposition on the 16th, followed by the long-awaited opposition of Jupiter on the 26th. The opposition of Jupiter coincides with a New Moon, which will increase some of the detail seen in the cloud bands. Don't forget that the many Messier objects discussed so far can also still be seen in the night sky.
Messier Targets 🔭
The Messier Catalog contains 110 objects to view throughout the year. Most of these objects require a telescope or a pair of binoculars. As with all DSOs, observing from a location with minimal light pollution will enhance your views. If using a telescope, I recommend using a low-power eyepiece to help find the object, then increase the power to bring out more detail. So far, I have highlighted the Messier objects belonging to Hercules, Draco, Lyra, Serpens, Scorpius, Scutum, Ophiuchus, Sagittarius, Cygnus, and Vulpecula. This post will highlight the four Messier objects which belong to Aquarius. The Stellarium image below shows what the night sky looks like during a September evening in Utah. This image is facing south/southeast towards the Milky Way band. Notice bright Saturn, Jupiter, and Altair, one of the stars that make up the Summer Triangle.
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| Facing south/southeast. Notice Jupiter (left), Saturn (lower center), and Altair (top center). |
The following is the same image as above with added planet labels and constellation lines and labels.
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| Looking south/southeast with constellation lines and labels. |
Notice the location of Aquarius, sandwiched between Jupiter and Saturn in the southern sky. The first target this month, M71 (aka Angelfish Cluster, Arrowhead Cluster, NGC 6838) a globular cluster, is located towards the zenith and does not look like it belongs to Aquarius at all. The Angelfish Cluster can be found above the bright star, Altair. Using the image above with the constellations labeled, M71 can be found between the stars that make up Sagitta. See the image below for the location of the Arrowhead Cluster.
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| Location of M71 in Aquarius. |
The next target, M2 (aka NGC 7089) is another globular cluster and is located much closer to the stars that make up Aquarius. This object can be found above the outstretched arm of Aquarius. I imagine Aquarius as reaching towards the Milky Way band. Using this analogy, when I view this constellation, I picture the four stars that make up the arm as the shoulder joint (closest to the body), the elbow, the wrist, and the tip of the hand (closest to the Milky Way band). M2 can be found slightly above and towards the shoulder, of the star that makes up the elbow joint. See the image below for clarification.
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| Location of M2 in Aquarius. |
The final two objects can be found within one field of view if using a low-power eyepiece. M72 and M73 can be found below the stars that make up the fingertips and wrist, respectively. M72 (aka NGC 6981) is a globular cluster while M73 (aka NGC 6994) is an open star cluster. Viewing these two objects together is quite a treat! See the images below for the location of these two objects.
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| Location of M71 in Aquarius. |
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| Location of M73 in Aquarius. |
The images below can be used as a quick reference for the location of the Messier objects in Aquarius.
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| Messier objects of Aquarius. |
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| Messier objects of Aquarius with constellation lines and labels. |
This post concludes the Messier objects which are best viewed during the summer months. Next month we will begin going through the objects that are best viewed during the autumn. All of these images were provided by Stellarium. My updated Messier list can be found here.
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| Now get outside and look up! |
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