Sunday, September 11
The Moon passes 1.8° south of Jupiter at 11 A.M. EDT. By this night, our satellite has moved into Cetus and sits 6.5° east of the gas giant two hours after sundown.
Whereas the intense Moon is rising within the east, let’s flip our gaze to the west. There, you’ll discover magnitude 0 Vega, which ranks because the fifth-brightest star within the sky. Lower than 2° to Vega’s northeast is Epsilon (ϵ) Lyrae, often known as the Double Double star. That’s as a result of, when considered by means of a telescope with a magnification of 75x or higher, this single level of sunshine splits into two distinct pairs of stars. The northern pair is cataloged as Epsilon1, whereas the southern duo is Epsilon2. Epsilon1 consists of two stars with magnitudes 5.1 and 6, separated by 2.6″; Epsilon2 comprises stars with magnitudes 5.1 and 5.4, separated by 2.3″. See in the event you can seize each pairs along with shiny Vega in a single area of view.
Dawn: 6:37 A.M.
Sundown: 7:15 P.M.
Moonrise: 8:15 P.M.
Moonset: 7:50 A.M.
Moon Section: Waning gibbous (98%)
Monday, September 12
Orion and his two loyal looking canine stand excessive within the early-morning sky. An hour earlier than dawn, look east to seek out the acquainted three-star asterism of Orion’s Belt, in addition to his trusty sword hanging some 3.7° south of the easternmost star within the belt, magnitude 1.7 Alnitak. The sword, which seems fuzzy to most individuals’s eyes, comprises the well-known Orion Nebula (M42), a wealthy, close by star-forming area that’s completely gorgeous by means of a telescope. Even with the waning gibbous Moon within the sky, it’s price having a look in the event you’ve obtained a medium and even small scope.
Some 30° east of Orion’s Belt is Canis Minor, Orion’s smaller looking canine. The brightest star on this constellation is magnitude 0.4 Procyon, which marks the Little Canine’s nostril. Simply 11.4 light-years away, Procyon is the sky’s eighth-brightest star.
Let’s slide as much as the highest of that chart and subsequent go to Sirius, the brightest star within the sky. Additionally known as the Canine Star, this luminary marks the nostril of Canis Main the Massive Canine and sits almost 26° southwest of Procyon. With a Greek identify that actually means “searing” or “scorching,” you possibly can’t miss this magnitude –1.4 star! However there’s one thing else you won’t miss: This near the horizon, Sirius could seem to violently twinkle or dance in place. Flip binoculars or a telescope on it, and you might even see it seem to alter coloration, flickering such as you’re it by means of a kaleidoscope. This impact, known as scintillation, happens while you observe starlight by means of Earth’s turbulent ambiance, which muddies the view. The brighter a star and the nearer to the horizon it sits, the bigger the impact.
Dawn: 6:38 A.M.
Sundown: 7:14 P.M.
Moonrise: 8:39 P.M.
Moonset: 8:59 A.M.
Moon Section: Waning gibbous (93%)
Tuesday, September 13
Whereas the Double Double we noticed in Lyra earlier this week required a telescope to completely cut up, tonight we’re going to check your naked-eye abilities. First, discover the Massive Dipper, that well-known asterism in Ursa Main up north. Early within the night, it’s right-side up and swinging down beneath Polaris, the North Star. Find the final star on the tip of the Massive Dipper’s deal with — that’s Alkaid, often known as Eta (η) Ursae Majoris.
Now, look one star in, on the “kink” within the deal with. Do you see one star, or two? The brilliant, apparent star most individuals acknowledge within the deal with is magnitude 2.3 Mizar. However just below 12′ to its northeast is magnitude 4 Alcor — a lot fainter, however nonetheless inside naked-eye visibility. Some individuals like to make use of this extensively separated pair as a check of visible acuity. How do you rating?
Mizar and Alcor could look shut within the sky, however they’re not thought of a binary pair. That’s as a result of they’re separated by a full light-year, so can’t be sure collectively and orbiting one another. Nonetheless, they do appear associated, as each are touring collectively by means of the galaxy in the identical course and with the identical velocity, together with a number of different stars within the Massive Dipper that collectively kind the Ursa Main Shifting Group.
Dawn: 6:39 A.M.
Sundown: 7:12 P.M.
Moonrise: 9:05 P.M.
Moonset: 10:07 A.M.
Moon Section: Waning gibbous (87%)
Wednesday, September 14
The Moon passes 0.8° north of Uranus at 7 P.M. EDT. In case you’d prefer to attempt to spot the pair, you’ll want to attend till they rise after darkish, situated in Aries the Ram. The Moon is now simply lower than 3.5° east of the ice giant, whose magnitude 5.7 glow could also be a bit troublesome to select in binoculars or a telescope with our satellite so shut. Don’t let that cease you from attempting, nonetheless, to identify Uranus’ 4″-wide grayish disk west of the Moon.
In keeping with NASA, right this moment additionally begins the shortest solar day of the yr. Whereas days on Earth are all the time thought of to be 24 hours lengthy, the size of the solar day — outlined because the time between two successive situations of when the Solar is highest within the sky — varies all year long. The shortest day, as measured between two subsequent solar noons, usually happens in September, and this yr begins at solar midday right this moment and ends at solar midday tomorrow. Its size is 23 hours, 59 minutes, and 38.6 seconds.
Dawn: 6:40 A.M.
Sundown: 7:10 P.M.
Moonrise: 9:33 P.M.
Moonset: 11:14 A.M.
Moon Section: Waning gibbous (80%)
