ajamesmccarthy
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Celestial Events this Month
🕑 Added 2021-09-07 18:58:42 +0000 UTCThere's really not much happening this month in terms of major events, so I'm including events that will be for more advanced stargazers/astronomers. Now that I'm settled in my new place, I'll hppefully capture many more of these!
September 7th- New Moon
Always the best night for stargazing, this is the best time to go check out dark skies in your area to see if you can find the milky way, which will be high in the sky after sunset. Even without a telescope, there are tons of objects visible with the naked eye, such as star clusters, some of the brighter nebulae, and for the more experienced observers, even the Andromeda galaxy.
September 8th- Crescent Moon and Mercury Conjunction
Mercury can be hard to find, so having the crescent moon close to it will help identify the planet in the sky. The razor thin (4-5% illuminated) moon will appear above Mercury just after sunset.
September 9th- Venus/Lunar Conjunction
While not quite as close as the Mercury/lunar conjunction the night before, look for the Crescent moon near the brightest planet in our solar system. Venus is unmistakable, as it shines bright in the western sky after sunset.
September 13th- First Quarter Moon
The phase I've captured the most (and yes, I'll be capturing it again) the First Quarter Moon is where craters are the most pronounced, as the shadows are long along the southern lunar highlands. A great time to check it out using a telescope or binoculars. Look for the famous "Lunar X" and "Lunar Y" along the terminator.
September 13th- Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation The best time to look for Mercury, as it is visible in the Early Evenings, looks like a star low on the western horizon at sunset. Venus is out there too, but much brighter and higher in the sky. If you have a telescope, Mercury will show phases like the moon, right now it will appear 50% illuminated.
September 14th- Neptune at opposition
The Ice Giant rises at sunset and stays in the sky the entire night, so for those of us that shoot planetary images, it is a great time to try and catch the stunning blue planet.
September 17th- a Gibbous Moon and Gas Giant Conjunction
The moon will form a triangle with Saturn and Jupiter in the Eastern Sky after sunset. Makes for a great photo-op! Saturn will be the dimmer of the two planets, while Jupiter is bright and closer to the Eastern Horizon.
September 20th- The Full Harvest Moon
Not a great evening for stargazing, but a great time to watch the full moon rise on the horizon. Look East At sunset to try and catch the full moon when it deceptively appears largest, as it rises.
September 23rd- The Moon passes Uranus
Uranus can be tricky top spot if you don't know exactly what you're looking for, but on this night the moon will be very close to it, to help stargazers find this. While not as dramatic as the other conjunctions, it should still make for a beautiful scene.
September 25th- Lunar/Star Cluster Conjunction
The moon will pass right between the Hyades and the Pleiades, two open star clusters. The moon will still be fairly bright, so spotting the clusters may be difficult.
Septmeber 29th- Last Quarter Moon
My favorite phases to shoot. This phases shows iuncredible contrast between the lunar highlands and lunar Maria, however this phase is best observed by waking up before sunrise.
September 29th- Andromeda At Opposition
The Andromeda galaxy is a favorite target for amateur stargazers, and on this night it will be in the sky the entire night. Since the last quarter moon coincides with the opposition, best observing/imaging is at the start of the evening, but I recommend waiting 2 hours after sunset.
Comments
You are so knowledgeable! How long have you been studying our universe?
