BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Saturn will be visible all night in September, rising soon after sunset. It will reach opposition on Sept. 8 and will be in the constellation Aquarius. By month's end it will reach this point two hours earlier. Telescopes of any size will reveal its ring system. The apparent tilt of the rings will increase to 5 degrees. Titan, Saturn's largest moon, will be an easy target for small telescopes.
Jupiter will rise around midnight local time in early September, a brilliant object in the constellation Taurus. The best views will be when Jupiter is highest above the horizon in the hour before dawn. Telescopes will reveal dark bands straddling its equator as well as the planet's four Galilean moons.
Mars will rise just before 1 a.m. local time on Sept. 1 and about 40 minutes earlier by month's end. The best time to observe the Red Planet will be in the predawn hours when it will be high in the sky in the constellation Gemini.
Venus will be visible low in the western sky for up to an hour after sunset in September. The last few days of the month it will be 7 degrees high in the west 30 minutes after sunset and remain visible for another hour.
Mercury will be well above the eastern horizon in the morning sky on Sept. 1. The small planet will continue to brighten, making its best morning appearance for observers in the Northern Hemisphere.
Equinox
The sun will arrive at the September equinox on Sept. 22 at 8:44 a.m. EDT, marking the start of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere and spring in the Southern Hemisphere. For the next six months in the Northern Hemisphere, the nights will be longer than the days.
Moon phases
The moon will be new on Sept. 2, at first quarter on Sept. 11, full on Sept. 17, and at last quarter on Sept. 24.
Author: Hal Kibbey Email: hkibbey [at] gmail.com
The College of Arts