Astronomy Algorithms for All

The Night Sky in September 2001

Planets

Mercury is visible in the evening sky throughout September,  its elongation from the Sun reaching 26 degrees by the middle of the month.  Mercury will be well placed for southern and for tropical observers, visible to the south of west after sunset.  Northern observers are unlikely to see Mercury as it sets too soon after the Sun.

Venus is still a magnificent object in the morning sky during September, though it is gradually drawing towards the Sun.  Venus rises two or three hours before the Sun and is visible to the north of east.  The period of observation is shorter in southern latitudes, though Venus should still be visible in the morning twilight.

Mars is gradually fading in the evening sky, but it is still a prominent object.  Northern observers can spot Mars low in the southern or southwestern sky as the evening progresses, while southern observers see Mars near the zenith for much of the evening.  Moon near on the evening of the 24th. 

Jupiter and Saturn are still fairly close together in the night sky.  Every 19 or 20 years Jupiter and Saturn lie in the same direction in the sky, and they were in conjunction on May 28th 2000.   Jupiter and Saturn are visible by late evening by the end of September, (except for southern observers who have to wait a bit longer), rising to the north of east.  Jupiter is considerably brighter than Saturn, and rises about two hours after Saturn.  Moon near Jupiter on the morning of the 12th, and near Saturn on the morning of the 10th.

Stars

For northern observers, the mid-evening sky shows Arcturus glowing in the west.  Ursa Major, or the big dipper, is declining in the north-west, while the W-shaped Cassiopeia is rising in the north-east.  The bright stars in Scorpio, including the red or orange Antares are setting in  the south-west, while Sagittarius follows, low to the west of south.  The bright stars making up the summer triangle are prominent near the meridian, with Vega to the west, Deneb to the east, and Altair lower than both, in the south.

For southern observers, the zenith is dominated by Sagittarius, with Scorpio to the west of the Meridian, while the Southern Cross, and Alpha and Beta Centauri, are sinking in the south-west.  Deneb and Vega are visible low in the north with Altair much higher than both in the north.  Spica in Virgo approaches the western horizon, while Achernar rises in the south-east, with Formalhaut further to the east.

More Information

While we develop our site further here, please explore these links to other sites of astronomical interest.

The Nine Planets - An excellent introduction to the Solar System

NASA Homepage - An enormous site here, as you might expect from NASA

Computing Planetary Positions - an excellent tutorial by Paul Schlyter, for those who want to work things out for themselves

View Sky from Cities around the World - A fascinating site where you can see exactly how the sky looks now, from anywhere in the world!  You can see where the planets are, and zoom in on an area for further detail.

Astrology in the Age of Aquarius - our sister site, with a facility to calculate ecliptic planetary positions from 1900 - 2050 A.D. while online.

Cathy Online - Home Page in the UK

Thank you for visiting.  Please come back soon!

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