Fri., August 31 6:06 7:17
Sat., Sept. 1 6:07 7:15
Sun., Sept. 2 6:08 7:13
Mon., Sept. 3 6:09 7:12
Tues., Sept. 4 6:10 7:10
Wed., Sept. 5 6:11 7:08
Thurs., Sept. 6 6:12 7:07
Fri., Sept. 7 6:13 7:05
Welcome to the skies of September. Our nights begin with two viewable planets. Night ends with two planets to view.
Mars and Saturn are low in the southwestern sky after sunset, with Saturn being closer to the horizon. Mars, the red planet, has moved away from Saturn and appears slightly higher and more southerly in the sky. Saturn resides in the zodiacal constellation Virgo. In just the last several weeks, Mars has moved from Virgo into the zodiacal constellation Libra.
These two planets are the brightest objects in that area of the late summer evening sky.
Two different planets claim the early morning sky. The brightest planet, Venus, is low in the southeast before sunrise. Venus, our closest planetary neighbor, is moving away from the Earth at a fast rate. As it moves away from us this month, Venus will appear lower and lower in the eastern sky at dawn. Venus is 77 million miles away now. By the end of September, Venus will be 20 million miles farther away.
High up in the early morning sky, there is Jupiter. Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system, but it is no match in brightness compared to Venus which is nearer to the horizon. Late night stargazers may see Jupiter rising in the east at midnight. Jupiter is moving slowly through the zodiacal constellation Taurus and will remain there through the winter.
Stay tuned for more news about the moon and Jupiter. On Sunday, Sept. 8 Jupiter and the moon appear as a tight pair.