It is unlikely that the “authorities”
will let me outside after sunset to view the western sky, but perhaps you can,
wherever you are on the evening of
September 8. According to Astronomy
Magazine, the period right after sunset is an optimum time to see Venus and
Jupiter.
If you look to the west-southwest about
45 minutes after sunset on September 8 (Sunday night), you will see the waxing
crescent moon. The planet, Venus, will appear as the brightest object very
close to the crescent moon. Above and slightly to the left of the moon will
appear Saturn. Nearby stars form the constellations Virgo and Libra. Each night
Venus and Saturn appear closer in the western sky.
If you are an early bird, and get up
before daylight, you can see Jupiter and Mars, the Red Planet, rising in the
east. Jupiter rises above the horizon around 2AM on September 1, and rises a
little earlier each week throughout the month. You can’t mistake Jupiter for
any other celestial object. It is brighter than any other point of light at
that time. The smaller Mars rises later, after Jupiter, and appears low in the
eastern sky by 4 AM September 1, then climbs higher each week. You can tell
Mars by its red clay hue.
If you have a telescope you might be able
to spot Comet ISON toward the east about two hours before sunrise. An asteroid
named “324 Bamberga” will also make an appearance in September, closely
approaching Earth on September 13. At 140 miles wide, that’s a darned big rock!
Astronomers say there’s no risk of Earth getting hit by Bamberga, thank
goodness. It is in an elliptical orbit that brings a close encounter every 22
years . We won’t see it again until 2035.
Since childhood I’ve always been
fascinated by the stars and planets in the night sky. When we were young my two
brothers and I spent many hours observing through a telescope we’d gotten as a
Christmas gift from our parents. There aren’t many places darker than an orange grove in Florida, far
from city lights.
I pray that one day I will be able to do
that again. In the meantime, let me know if you see any of these sights in
September.
Charlie
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