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September Night Sky Guide (September 2024)

(Image ©Victoria Avvacumova)

This September, the night sky offers an exciting display with a partial lunar eclipse of the iconic Harvest Moon and the best chance of the year to observe Saturn through a telescope. Throughout the month, enjoy the Moon as it interacts with various planets, creating beautiful celestial alignments.

For an enhanced stargazing experience, explore our top-of-the-line telescopes at Stellara. Discover more at https://visitstellara.com/listings/, especially if you’re visiting picturesque locations like the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. 

Visible Planets In The September Sky

September is a great time to spot the elusive planet Mercury. Normally positioned too low to the horizon and lost in the glow of the Sun, Mercury is low in the eastern morning sky about one hour before sunrise during the first half of September 2024.

As the month progresses, another planet, Mars, will become more visible as it approaches Earth and brightens. Look for Mars in the east-northeast sky after midnight.

Jupiter gleams brilliantly against the stars of Taurus the Bull and appears in the east-northeast during the late-evening hours. 

Saturn is positioned directly opposite to the Sun in the sky early in the month and as a result is in the night sky all night long. Also, Saturn is at its closest and brightest during September.

Ironically, the most difficult planet to sight this month is by far the brightest: Venus. It’s now an “evening star,” but hangs very low to the western horizon and disappears only about an hour after Sundown.

September Night Sky Guide 2024

All times and positions are listed in Eastern time, 40 degrees north of the equator—unless otherwise specified. If you see the terms sunset, midnight, sunrise or local time, this is true no matter where you are located (no need to add or subtract for your time zone).

Look for the telescope emoji – 🔭 – which means that we recommend binoculars or telescopes.

September 1 – The Moon Kisses Mercury

45 minutes before sunrise, look east to see a razor-thin waning crescent Moon (only two percent illuminated) kissing Mercury (about four degrees to the lower right).

September 2 – New Moon

The new Moon occurs at 9:56 p.m. EDT. New Moons are excellent times for stargazing!

Tonight, you have a great opportunity to view three faint constellations. Look almost directly overhead around 9 p.m. local daylight time to see: Vulpecula, the Little Fox; Sagitta, the Arrow; and Delphinus, the dolphin.

  1. Vulpecula, the Little Fox, is in the Milky Way south of Albireo, the head of Cygnus, the Swan. It is said to have been invented by a Polish astronomer from stars uncommitted to any other groups. There are no named stars in it. 
  2. South of Albireo, about halfway toward Altair in the Eagle, we can see at least four stars of Sagitta, the Arrow. Although it has been described as “ancient and insignificant,” this arrow appears in several cultural stories told for centuries. Ancient Greek tradition holds that Apollo killed the Cyclops with it. While the Romans believed it was Cupid’s arrow.
  3. To the east of Sagitta, we find Delphinus, the Dolphin. Four stars form a diamond, and still fainter ones trail south as a tail. The gentle arch of this configuration suggests that the creature is swimming.

September 4 – Mercury

Mercury stands 18 degrees west of the Sun. This is the minimum value for a greatest elongation, yet the apparition is favorable for mid-northern observers because the ecliptic is nearly perpendicular to the horizon. 

Mercury now rises about 90 minutes before the Sun and attains an altitude of 8 degrees in mid-twilight. 

This speedy little planet continues to brighten rapidly, going from magnitude -0.1 now to -1.2 by the 15th, but by then it’s quickly sinking back down. Thereafter, Mercury leaves the morning sky as it heads toward superior conjunction (beyond the Sun) on September 30.

September 5 – Crescent Moon and Venus 

This evening, approximately 30 minutes after sunset, look west to see a waxing crescent Moon and Venus (to the right, low on the horizon).

You may spot Venus low on the western horizon after sunset over the course of this month.

September 8 – Scope It Out with Saturn

Saturn reaches opposition tonight and shines at magnitude +0.6 for most of the month. Tonight is a great night to break out your telescope!

Look for Saturn low in the east-southeast after sunset. By midnight, the bright planet will be fairly high in the southern sky.

September 9 – Mercury

Mercury now at magnitude -0.8, stands almost 10 degrees above the eastern horizon a half hour before sunrise. That’s good, because Mercury is only a mere half-degree to the left of the much fainter star, Regulus. 

Binoculars will probably be needed to see the +1.3-magnitude star that low in bright twilight.  Mercury appears markedly lower each morning after that.

September 11 – First Quarter Moon

The first quarter Moon occurs at 2:06 a.m. EDT.

September 16 – Saturn Kisses the Moon

At nightfall, low in the east-southeast, take note of Saturn positioned about a half-dozen degrees to the left of the nearly full Moon. During the course of the overnight hours, the Moon will slowly glide toward Saturn at a rate of roughly its own diameter per hour. By dawn the following morning, the Moon and Saturn will be separated by less than two degrees.

⭐ September 17 – Full Harvest Moon (Supermoon and Partial Lunar Eclipse)

The Full Harvest Moon reaches peak illumination at 6:17 a.m. EDT. This full Moon is a Supermoon and will undergo a partial lunar eclipse. Those living in North America (except Alaska and Hawaii) will have a good chance to view this sky event. 

September 22 – Fall Equinox

The Sun arrives at the fall equinox at 8:44 a.m. EDT, marking the first day of fall in the Northern Hemisphere and spring in the Southern Hemisphere. 

⭐🔭 September 23+24 – The Moon and Jupiter

Look east at around 10:30 p.m. local daylight time to see a waning gibbous Moon and, to the right, Jupiter:

The best telescopic views of Jupiter’s intricate details of cloud bands and Galilean satellites come after midnight or, best of all, when it is very high around morning twilight. 

September 24 – Last Quarter Moon

The last quarter Moon occurs at 2:50 p.m. EDT.

⭐ September 25 – The Moon Kisses Mars

Mars rises in the middle of the night and is best seen just before sunrise. Look east (east-southeast) this morning. You’ll see Mars about 5 degrees to the lower right of the Moon.

Source: Farmersalmanac.com | Author: Joe Rao, he serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York’s Hayden Planetarium