Monthly Night Sky Report: September 2026

                          Introduction

   August was still warm, with a few cooler, rainy days mixed in. Utahns experienced some evening thunderstorms, reminiscent of the summer storms I remember as a kid. I saw a few Perseid meteors and took one of my scopes out to view the stars. I also saw part of the Partial Lunar Eclipse before the clouds rolled in. 

    September should offer some great nights of stargazing. Cooler temperatures bring a steadier atmosphere and let observers use high-powered eyepieces to better reveal the details of the Moon, planets, and deep-sky objects. This month will be a less exciting month for stargazers, with no major meteor showers and no eclipses. Neptune will reach opposition during September, making it the best time of the year to view the most distant planet in our solar system.   

                      

Mercury

   Mercury will be a difficult target for Northern Hemisphere observers in September. The ecliptic brings Mercury close to the horizon, so a high, clear view of the western sky will be needed shortly after sunset. The best chance to see this tiny world will come on the 12th when the Moon is just 11° away. Venus will also be nearby. 

  

Venus

   Venus will be easy to spot after sunset, even before the glow of the Sun retreats from the evening sky. This world will sink below the western horizon earlier with each passing day, but it will remain prominent in the sky. Venus will reach its greatest illumination on the 18th, shining brightly at -4.8 magnitude. Observers with binoculars or a telescope can see the planet's different phases, with about 25% of its disk illuminated on the 21st.

    

Mars

    

   Mars can be found rising with the stars of Gemini in early September, around 2:30 AM. By the end of the month, the Red Planet will have crossed into Cancer, the Crab, and rise approximately an hour earlier. This outer rocky world will not offer much detail through a telescope because of its distance from Earth, but better views will present themselves in early 2027.

       

Jupiter

Saturn

   Jupiter will begin the month among the stars of Cancer. This giant planet rises above the eastern horizon around 4:30 AM as the month begins. Close to the time that Mars is crossing into Cancer, Jupiter will leave this region of the night sky and move to the stars of Leo. At the end of the month, Jupiter can be found just 11° from Regulus, the brightest star in Leo. The early morning hours are a great time to view this planet. A telescope will easily reveal Jupiter's four large Galilean Moons and the cloud bands in its atmosphere. Colored filters can help reveal Jupiter's band structure. Several moon transits are visible during September. I recommend using the Moons of Jupiter & Saturn app to find the transit times for a specific location.  

    It is nearly peak Saturn observation time as it approaches opposition in October. For the time being, the Ringed World can be found rising above the eastern horizon around 10:30 PM at the start of the month and by approximately 8:30 PM by month's end. A telescope will reveal Saturn's ring structure and its largest moons. You can observe several moon transits this month. I recommend using the Moons of Jupiter & Saturn app to find when these transits will occur at your location.

       

Neptune

Uranus

    

   Uranus can be found hiding among the stars of Taurus. This distant world is about halfway between the Pleiades and the Hyades star clusters throughout September. While technically visible to the unaided eye from a dark, Moon-free sky, binoculars or a telescope will help you distinguish it from the background stars. 

   Neptune reaches opposition on the 25th, making this date one of the best times of the year to view this most distant world. Neptune can be found rising with Saturn and the stars of Pisces. You will need binoculars or a telescope to see this world.

Deep Sky Objects

   This September, there aren't many exciting astronomy targets to view. However, plenty of DSOs are visible with a telescope. Observers may also catch up to seven meteors per hour during any night of the month, although the best time to view will come during the New Moon phase. I recommend bringing a comfortable chair and warm clothing to a dark-sky site, relaxing, and looking up at the wonders of our night sky.   

Monthly Breakdown

September 03: Moon passes within 5° of Uranus

September 04: Last Quarter Moon🌗 

September 06: Moon passes within 3° of Mars

September 08: Moon passes within 1° of Jupiter

September 10: New Moon 🌑

September 14: Moon passes within 1° of Venus 

September 18: First Quarter Moon 🌓 

September 22: Autumnal Equinox

September 25: Neptune reaches opposition 

September 26: Full Moon 🌕 

September 26: Moon passes within 5° of Neptune

September 27: Moon passes within 7° of Saturn 

September 30: Moon passes within 5° of Uranus 

 

 

         

Now get outside and look up!

Planet images were taken by NASA.

Andrew vs. the Cosmos image was taken by Jeff Greenland.

The Milky Way and Trees image was taken by Andrew Greenland.

Orion, Taurus, and Pleiades image was taken by Andrew Greenland.

                

   

Midmonth Check-In: August 2026 and the Ecliptic

                              

  Introduction and Monthly Reminders   

    August has been quite warm. A little too warm for my taste, which discourages me from taking my gear out at night. The smoke has also been a deterrent, but I still spotted Venus in the early evening sky and followed the Moon through its phases. It's currently approaching the New Moon phase to set up a Total Solar Eclipse. During the New Moon phase, the Perseids will also peak, creating a spectacular show for those with cloud-free skies.

    I traveled to Fish Lake, Utah during the peak of the Perseids. I wasn't expecting much, since the forecast predicted rainstorms for the entire trip. Fortunately, it was only overcast for one of the three nights! I have not looked at all the pictures I took of the night sky during the two clear nights, but the few I have reviewed look great, and I'm excited to share them and my trip to Fish Lake in my next Midmonth Check-In post!

    The remaining days of August will still offer observers a chance to catch some Perseid meteors and the Moon moving against the background stars. On the 28th, Utahns will see a Partial Lunar Eclipse. Several of the planets may also be seen in the early morning sky before sunrise. 

The Ecliptic

      I often mention the ecliptic and how the planets and Sun seem to follow this imaginary line through our sky, but what is it and why do these celestial objects follow this path?

    Approximately 4.6 billion years ago, an event occurred, most likely a distant supernova, which agitated an otherwise peaceful cloud of dust in an otherwise lonely region of space. This agitation caused the cloud of dust to begin spinning and collapsing inward. As the cloud spun faster, it flattened out, much like a pizza maker throws dough in the air and spins it. Over time, the Sun and planets formed from this disk, all of which lie roughly on the same plane, like a pizza pan or dinner plate.

    Before the solar system became what we know today, with the planets in their current positions and the moons around them, several collisions or near-collisions occurred. These events caused some planets, like Earth, to tilt on their polar axis. For Earth, this axial tilt allows us to experience seasons. 

    The path the Sun takes through our daytime sky is known as the ecliptic. This path changes throughout the year because of Earth's axial tilt. Since the planets were formed from the same rotating disc of dust as the Sun, they closely follow the ecliptic as well. In fact, if an observer were standing on another planet in our solar system, they would also experience the Sun and planets following an imaginary line, an ecliptic, in their sky. Think of the swing ride, Turn of the Century, at Lagoon. Everyone on the ride sits on the same plane and follows the same arc as the speed increases. This is the same concept as the arc that the Sun and planets follow in the sky.       

    Show that you support dark skies, like me, by being one of the first Utahns to get a Dark Sky license plate! Visit Dark Sky Utah to apply for a new license plate for your vehicle. 

         

    

Now get outside and look up!