Your guide to the night sky this month
Thursday 1
The Moon is out of the way at the start and end of September, making these perfect times to take this month’s Deep-Sky Tour.
Saturday 3
Catch the first quarter Moon 2.3º from the mag. +1.0 red supergiant Antares a (Alpha (α) Scorpii) as the sky begins to darken.
Monday 5
This evening, a view of the Moon through binoculars or a small telescope will show the dawn-lit peaks of the Jura Mountain range arcing across the lunar terminator. This forms a clair-obscur effect known as the Jewelled Handle.
A view of Jupiter from 00:30 BST (23:29 UT on 4 September) through to 01:47 BST (00:47 UT) will show Callisto’s shadow just clipping the planet’s south polar region.
Wednesday 7
Mag. –0.2 Mars lies 4.3º from mag. +0.8 Aldebaran (Alpha (α) Tauri) in this morning’s sky. Both objects will be showing a distinctive orange hue.
Thursday 8
This evening’s 96%-lit waxing gibbous Moon lies 7º from mag. +0.5 Saturn. Minor planet 3 Juno reaches opposition, shining at mag. +7.8 in the constellation Aquarius, 10º west of similarly bright Neptune.
Saturday 10
The Moon is full at 10:59 BST (09:59 UT) but won’t be visible until later in the day. This full Moon is closest to the September equinox, making it the Harvest Moon for 2022.
Sunday 11
Just after rising this evening, the 97%-lit waning gibbous Moon lies 3.8º to the east of mag. –2.8 Jupiter.
Wednesday 14
This evening’s 77%-lit waning gibbous Moon will occult the planet Uranus. It disappears at 22:30 BST (21:30 UT), reappearing at 23:21 BST (22:21 UT). Times will vary slightly with location.
Friday 16
Neptune reaches opposition in Aquarius. Currently located around 6º south of the Circlet asterism in Pisces, the planet shines at mag. +7.8.
Saturday 17
The 58%-lit waning gibbous Moon sits 2.9º north of mag. –0.4 Mars this morning. Catch them together after 01:00 BST (00:00 UT).
Thursday 22
This morning is the second of two opportunities to catch our Moonwatch target, the walled plain Schickard. The first is on the evening of 8 September.
Friday 23
The Sun crosses the celestial equator heading south at 02:04 BST (01:04 UT), marking the September equinox, also known as the Northern Hemisphere’s autumn equinox and the Southern Hemisphere’s spring equinox.
This morning’s 7%-lit waning crescent Moon passes just south of mag. +3.5 Eta (η) Leonis. From the centre of the UK at 04:00 BST (03:00 UT) the northern cusp of the Moon is just 8 arcseconds south of the star.
Saturday 24
Io and its shadow transit Jupiter this morning from 02:57 BST (01:57 UT) until 05:12 BST (04:12 UT). As the planet is near opposition, the moon and its shadow will appear very close together.
Sunday 25
From 06:30 BST (05:30 UT) there’s an excellent chance to spot an ultra-thin 0.6%-lit waning crescent Moon just 2º north of mag. –3.8 Venus.
Monday 26
The planet Jupiter reaches opposition today, shining at mag. –2.8 in Pisces. Catch an ultra-thin waxing crescent Moon shortly after sunset.
Wednesday 28
The giant moon Ganymede, along with its shadow, transit Jupiter from 05:06 BST (04:06 UT), the event still in progress as Jupiter sets.
Friday 30
waning crescent Moon this evening The 25%-lit sits 2.3º from mag. +1.0 Antares (Alpha (α) Scorpii), the pair visible low above the southwest horizon shortly after the Sun has set.
Family stargazing
The full Moon on 10 September is the Harvest Moon for 2022, so-called because the difference in rise times from one evening to the next after this date is the smallest for the year. This means the bright, fuller phases of the Moon appear at approximately similar times, lighting the way to collect the harvest. Young scientists might like to make a note of the rise times for the Moon from 10 September onwards (find them at www.timeanddate.com/moon) and calculate the difference. Try to remember to do this next March too, when the difference is greatest. bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/shows/stargazing
NEED TO KNOW
The terms and symbols used in The Sky Guide
Universal Time (UT) and British Summer Time (BST)
Universal Time (UT) is the standard time used by astronomers around the world. British Summer Time (BST) is one hour ahead of UT
RA (Right ascension) and dec. (declination)
These coordinates are the night sky’s equivalent of longitude and latitude, describing where an object is on the celestial ‘globe’
Naked eye
Allow 20 minutes for your eyes to become dark-adapted
Photo opp
Use a CCD, planetary camera or standard DSLR
Binoculars
10×50 recommended
Small/ medium scope
Reflector/SCT under 6 inches, refractor under 4 inches
Large scope
Reflector/SCT over 6 inches, refractor over 4 inches
GETTING STARTED IN ASTRONOMY
If you’re new to astronomy, you’ll find two essential reads on our website. Visit http://bit.ly/10_easylessons for our 10-step guide to getting started and http://bit.ly/buy_scope for advice on choosing a scope