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Celestial Happenings

September 2006

Current Night Sky (skyandtelescope.com)

  The Visible Planets

Mercury is in superior conjunction on Sept. 7 and is therefore difficult to observe this month. It will only be visible during the last days of the month, low above the western horizon, just after sunset.

Venus is getting lower in the eastern sky during morning twilight. It rises shortly before the Sun and will be list in the glare of the Sun by month’s end.

Mars, in Virgo, is too close to the Sun to be seen this month.

Jupiter is low in the west-southwest during evening twilight. It sets about 2 hours after the Sun. Jupiter is in the constellation Libra.

Saturn continues to rise out of the morning twilight. It is visible a little while before sunrise low above the eastern horizon. It is in the constellation Leo.

The Outer Planets
Uranus is located in Aquarius. This planet will be high overhead at midnight, but because it is near the limit of good eyesight, you need extremely dark skies or binoculars to see it. Uranus will be at opposition on Sept. 5.

Neptune is nestled in Capricornus, but because it is even further away than Uranus, you will need a telescope to see it. Neptune will be visible from sunset to almost sunrise.

Pluto is hovering at the border of the constellations Serpens and Ophiuchus, at magnitude 14.0. It will be high in the sky when the Sun sets but will only be visible with an 8inch scope or larger at a dark site.

The Autumnal Equinox is on the very first minutes of Sept. 23. On this date, the Sun is where the Ecliptic crosses the celestial equator. As seen from the Earth, the Sun will appear to rise directly in the east and set directly in the west. The length of daytime and nighttime will be roughly even, and Autumn begins.
The Full Moon of Sept. 7 is the largest of the year.