What's Up?  Sky Sights in September, 2022

Evening Skies:
 
2 promient star configurations, or "asterisms" guide your evening activities on late Summer/early Autumn evenings. First, the "Big Dipper" looms unmistakably low in northwestern skies. Second, the "Summer Triangle" beams brightly throughout the entire evening, a conspicuous isosceles triangle of 3 brilliant stars: Vega, Deneb, and Altair. Your outstreteched hand fits neatly within the grouping located in high in southern skies!

Saturn, a bright and golden starpoint, returns to evening viewing shining in isolated splendor low in southeastern skies by nightfall local time and ambling steadily westward in constellation Capricornus, setting before twilight.

Jupiter, unmistakably brilliant, commands attention in mid-evening skies very low in eastern skies.  The largest solar system world strolls majestically ever higher throughout the night, setting in western skies by sunrise  Binoculars, steadily held, should resolve 1-4 of its bold and big satellites: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.



Finally, this month features, from a dark sky, moonless location or camp, sublime and spectacular gazing at our Milky Way Galaxy streaming southeast to south!

Morning Skies: 

Mars shines unmistakably tiger colored orange, blooming & bidding farewell to the familiar Pleiades and Hyades star clusters as it comes into distinct visibility after midnight, local time, in eastern skies.  Still quite distant from the Earth, Mars will ever increasingly close the gap until reaching a much closer and brighter appearance in December.

Venus still outshines all other planets in the predawn silence,  very bright, though hugging the horizon, abiding among the majestic constellation
of Leo the Lion prior to sunrise.

Note: an I-phone app will greatly assist you in discovering these planets and stars/constellations with unaided eyes.
Go to you I-store and check out:  "Stellarium"; "SkySafari"; "Sky Tonight" for starters. 
Consider using your I-phone cameras as well for some candid camera images to share!
Moon Phases
 
First Quarter: Saturday, September 3rd

Full Moon:  Saturday, September 10th

Last Quarter: Saturday, September 17th

New Moon:  Sunday, September 25th       


The Autumnal Equinox announces the Autumn season, inauguarted Thursday, September 22nd!       



Planets (Column 1: Venus/Mars)  
              (Column 2: Saturn/Jupiter)

Venus Saturn
Venus Jupiter


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"Call the Astronomer" @ the Science Center (207) 488-5451 for any further details on these and other super sky sights throughout 2022.  The Science Center Facebook page also gives weekly opportunity to pose your astronomy thoughts and questions.

Enjoy the late Summer /early Autumn Sky everyone!