The Night Sky - September 2026
This month, all the naked eye visible planets can be seen all month. Mercury and Venus are very low in the W and WSW during evening twilight. Mars will be high in the E in the morning sky. Jupiter will rise before 4 AM in the ENE and be in the E by dawn. Saturn will be in the E during the evening (after 8 PM), transit around 2 AM and be in the SSW by dawn. Finding the planets and watching how they change can be quite interesting. With binoculars the Galilean Moons of Jupiter are visible along with Saturn’s Rings. If the season is right, you might see clouds on Mars and the Inner planets go through phases, similar to our Moon. Watching this interplay can make you feel in rhythm with Nature.
The Aurigids Meteor Shower should be visible in the Pre-Dawn of September 1. They will look like they started in Auriga, near the brightest star, Capella. The constellation is considered a charioteer in Roman mythology and it is recognized by its pentagram shape. This shower was identified in 1935 and has not been seen every year. It is visible from August 26 to September 5 with the peak September 1. There should be 6 per hour and they are moving around 65 km/s (faster than the Persieds but not as many). This shower is the dust from P/Comet Kiess. This comet is on an orbit of 2000 to 2100 years!
September 2 has Venus very close to the bright star Spica. The fourth is Last Quarter Moon and the lunar X is visible on the 5th. On the 6th Mars will be 3 degrees S of the Moon and the Moon is at Perigee (closest to Earth). Zodiacal light may be visible from the 9th in the E until after Equinox in dark skies. New Moon is on the 10th and the Old Moon may be visible in the morning sky before Sun rise. Look for a very thin crescent of the New Moon close to sunset. On the14th, Venus will be 0.5 degrees S of the Moon. The 18th is First Quarter Moon with the Moon at Apogee (furthest from Earth) and Venus will appear most illuminated. The straight wall is visible on the 19th along with two shadow crossings of Jupiter’s Moons. From the 20th to 26th, try following Capella, unaided, into the daylight. Equinox is on the 22nd. The Mate Calling Full Moon is on the 26th along with two shadows crossing Jupiter. The 30th is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
As Equinox (literally equal night) approaches, the sky darkens earlier. As it is not too cold as well, it makes a good time to introduce younger children to the sky. Finding the Moon might be a good start. Did they notice that the pattern of craters doesn’t change? As it is tidally locked with Earth it shows us the same side. The Sun lights one side of the Moon, but how much of that is seen from the Earth is known as the Phase of the Moon.
Waxing and Waning describes whether the lit part of the Moon was getting larger (waxing) or smaller (waning). At New Moon the Moon is between the Earth and the Sun so none of the Moon’s lit side shows. A waxing crescent is the next phase. When half of what we see from Earth is lit, that is First Quarter (as the Moon is a sphere), next is a waxing Gibbous, Full (the Earth is between the Moon and the Sun —this is when lunar eclipses can happen). Waning Gibbous, Third Quarter and waning Crescent. When the Moon is Waxing, the lit side is on the right (looking like a D). Waning is on the left and looks like a C. See if you can follow the pattern for a few months. If you observe with a telescope, avoid Full Moon as it is very bright. Following the terminator does give some texture to the surface. The longer you watch, you can see the sunlight starting to touch the tops of the mountains.
Clear Skies.
