The Moon
Full Moon 4th up from 19:30 to 06:41
Last Quarter 11th up from 23:18 to 14:32
New Moon 18th up from 06:48 to 18:57
First Quarter 26th up from 15:20 to 00:00
This means that she’ll be visible for study, or in the way of course, for the first half of the month and the last week, leaving the rest to deep sky observers.
Planets
Jupiter, Neptune and Uranus will continue their progress across the sky holding their current positions relative to each other. They’ll start the month with Jupiter leading, being most westward, followed quite closely by Neptune, 4° away, with Uranus, another 35° behind.
On the 1st, Jupiter will rise by 7pm, and will be well up in the south east as darkness descends. It will set about dawn so will be available all month, big and bright, in Capricornus, but not getting high enough above the horizon for really good study, though the moons and banding will be easy to see. There will also be some occultations and eclipses between the moons as well as with the planet
Neptune will be following Jupiter closely, within 4°, but you’ll need a telescope to see it, though it has been seen in binoculars from Austerfield.
Uranus will rise on the 1st about 8.30pm as it’s getting dark and set well after dawn so will also be visible all month. Easier than Neptune in binoculars but you’ll need to know where to look, but it’s in a very empty part of the sky so not easy. A star chart is available from the observatory if needed. Uranus will be higher in the sky than Jupiter so a better prospect, though smaller and further away, but its moons can be studied with a telescope, or camera. But you’ll have to remember that it rotates on its side so the moons will appear above and below the disc where Jupiter’s are on either side.
Mars will rise, in Gemini, about 1.30am on the 1st and its mag 1.0 orange disc will be easy to see, naked eye. It’ll still be rising when dawn twilight makes it more difficult to see. On the 30th it’ll rise almost an hour earlier, and will have risen to 54° as dawn twilight lightens the sky. It’ll be tiny, that means very small, 6arcsec, not anywhere as big as some wag reports on the internet. It’ll be about 1/300th the size of the Moon, so you’ll be lucky to see any detail unless the seeing is very good.
Venus will rise in the east on the 1st, in Crater, at 4am, and its 13arcsec disc will be shining at mag-4.0, so will be unmistakable as the Morning Star. Jupiter will be setting in the west at the same time, giving us a bright “star” on either side of the horizon. Rising beside Venus will be the Beehive cluster M44, but Venus will be moving quickly, retrograde, at about a 1°/day, towards the Sun, and by the month’s end will rise at 5am and be ¾ of the way across Leo.
Saturn rises after the Sun at the start of September, but by the 18th will be within 2° of it and by the 23rd will rise 30mins before it, still in twilight, but at mag 1.1, could, with care, be sought, due east, on the horizon. You’ll also be able to see Mercury, at mag 3.2, just 4° the right. Venus will be 20° higher up. From then to the end of the month Venus will be getting lower, closer to the Sun, and Saturn and Mercury will be rising higher as they move away from the Sun.
Meteor Showers.
None of any consequence this month.
What else?
This is the best time of the year in many observers’ eyes, with the Milky Way whirling overhead with Perseus well up and Auriga and Taurus leading Gemini, Monoceros and Orion onto the Autumn and Winter stage, and by the end of September, Leo with his galaxies will be joining them. The Milky Way will be much in evidence with too many objects to observe and photograph. The Messier clusters M35, M36, M37 and M38 all in a row in Gemini and Auriga would be a good place to start, with many more in Monoceros and Canis Minor. The beautiful Orion Nebula and others round his Sword and Belt will be there too, to observe, if the Cloud God permits. All these good things coming together and lengthening nights to enjoy them.
Should you need star charts or other details call at www.donastro.org.uk
Satellites
International Space Station
9th at 20:35, from S to SE, getting 17° up
10th at 20:59, from SW to SE getting 30° up
13th at 20:37, from WSW to ESE getting 48° up
and lots more about this time in September
Iridium Flares
3rd at 21:53:40 in the ENE 45° up, very bright
4th at 20:12:11 in the SE 72° up, bright
4th at 21:47:38 in the ENE 44° up, bright
5th at 20:06:10 in the SE 71° up, very bright
For other ISS passes or Iridium Flares during the month check with www.heavens-above.com