{"id":35242,"date":"2022-08-11T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-08-11T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/?post_type=purple_issue&p=35242"},"modified":"2022-09-12T11:12:59","modified_gmt":"2022-09-12T11:12:59","slug":"prepare-for-the-planet-parade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/2022\/08\/11\/prepare-for-the-planet-parade\/","title":{"rendered":"Prepare for the planet parade"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Five planets and an asteroid will be putting on a show this month. Stuart Atkinson <\/strong>shows us where and when to catch the spectacle<\/p>\n\n

\"\"
String of jewels: Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will all be visible with the naked eye in September\u2019s night sky <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

While it\u2019s been disappointingly quiet for comet observers, aurora hunters and meteor watchers, there\u2019s no doubt that 2022 has been a great year for planet spotters. Back in early summer there was a striking and much-hyped \u2018chain of worlds\u2019 spread out across the sky, with half a dozen planets strung out along the ecliptic like beads on a bracelet. Unfortunately, that celestial treat was only visible before dawn, so many people missed it or didn\u2019t even know it was happening at all. <\/p>\n\n

But good news: another planetary parade will be on view this month! And even better news: this time it will be in the evening sky, so you won\u2019t need to set the alarm really early to see it. Throughout September no less than five planets \u2013 Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Uranus and Neptune \u2013 will all be on view at once, if you look at the right time. <\/p>\n\n

\"\"
Cast your eyes southeast to catch the rare sight of (left to right) Mars, Jupiter and Saturn strung across the sky and all very easy to see <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

As exciting and rare as it was, summer\u2019s planetary line-up wasn\u2019t easy to see for many Northern Hemisphere sky-watchers \u2013 some of the planets were overwhelmed by the bright summer sky. But this month\u2019s gathering will be taking place after dark, so all the planets involved will be either very easy to see with the naked eye or easy to find in binoculars and small telescopes. And as an added bonus, one of the Solar System\u2019s most famous minor planets, Vesta, will be in the same region of the sky too. <\/p>\n\n

But when will be the \u2018right time\u2019? Although some of these worlds will be on view soon after sunset, you won\u2019t be able to see all of them strewn across the sky together until around 10:30pm, so if you want to show them to any space-mad youngsters, they may need to take a nap first and then go out later. We\u2019ll look at the view on one particular night midmonth, 18 September, but don\u2019t worry if it\u2019s cloudy on that night because these planets will be on view throughout September.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cWith the naked eye, September\u2019s planet parade will be a celestial joy to behold\u201d <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

By 10:30pm, if you look to the southeast, a veritable parade of worlds will be stretched out before you. The brightest of them, Jupiter, will be straight ahead of you. To its right, 45\u02da away, Saturn will be an easy naked-eye object too, also appearing starlike. <\/p>\n\n

Finally for the naked-eye planets, down to Jupiter\u2019s lower left, quite some distance away (70\u02da away in fact), you\u2019ll see Mars. <\/p>\n\n

With the naked eye, September\u2019s planet parade will be a celestial joy to behold, but to get a closer look at those brighter planets, a small telescope or even a modest pair of binoculars will make all the difference. <\/p>\n\n

Let\u2019s take a closer look at each of the naked-eye trio in turn, working from right to left, then explore how to see Uranus, Neptune and Vesta. As always, it will help if you can get to somewhere dark, away from the bright lights of towns and cities, and allow 20\u201330 minutes for your eyes to dark-adapt. So wrap up warm, have hot drinks and snacks to hand, and get ready for the planet parade. <\/p>\n\n

\"\"
A telescope will reveal Saturn’s enchanting rings, but even binoculars will bring its largest moon, Titan into view<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

Saturn <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

Shining at mag. +0.4, the famous ringed planet will rise an hour before sunset, but you won\u2019t be able to see it clearly until twilight deepens. By 10:30pm (from the centre of the UK; times will vary depending on your location) Saturn will look like a yellow-white star in Capricornus. If you\u2019re worried about how you\u2019ll know which one is Saturn, don\u2019t be: it will be easy to identify because it will be the only bright \u2018star\u2019 low in the southeast. <\/p>\n\n

Having found Saturn, you\u2019ll want to see its famous rings. They\u2019re a sight reserved for telescopes or the largest and most powerful binoculars, but even a modest pair of binoculars will show you Saturn\u2019s largest moon, Titan, which is as big as the planet Mercury. Through binoculars Titan looks like a star shining close to Saturn. Its position relative to Saturn changes night to night, so check where it will be using a phone app or planetarium program. <\/p>\n\n

Magnified more, Saturn really comes to life. Even a small telescope using low magnification is enough to show its slightly squashed disc and its rings too, looking like a slender hoop thrown over it. As magical as this view is \u2013 and every astronomer can\u2019t help grinning like a Cheshire Cat whenever they recall their first view of Saturn through a telescope \u2013 you won\u2019t be surprised to hear that the bigger the telescope you use, the better your view of Saturn will be. A 6-inch reflector with high magnification will show you faint banding on the planet\u2019s disc, gaps in the rings and even the shadow of the rings on Saturn itself \u2013 a view as beautiful as anything sent back by Voyager or Cassini. <\/p>\n\n

\"\"
Pan over to find bright Jupiter, where all you need are binoculars to make out its four Galilean moons <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

Jupiter <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

Sitting smack in the middle of the chain of worlds at 10:30pm, Jupiter will look like a strikingly bright blue-white star to the eye, 30\u02da or so above the southeastern horizon. You\u2019ll have no trouble identifying it because, at mag. \u20132.9, there will simply be nothing else anywhere near as bright in the sky nearby at that time. <\/p>\n\n

Through a pair of binoculars Jupiter will just look like a brighter star, but you will be able to see some of its family of 79 moons, looking like tiny stars shining close to it. How many you see will depend on when you look. The four largest moons of Jupiter are known as the Galilean satellites because they were first seen by the great astronomer Galileo when he turned his crude telescope on the night sky. But as Galileo found, as they whirl around Jupiter they slip in and out of view, sliding in front of the disc or vanishing behind it, so you might see all four or just a couple. The Jupiter\u2019s Moons diagram in \u2018The Sky Guide\u2019 will tell you how many moons you will be able to see, and which ones they are, across September. <\/p>\n\n

Through a telescope Jupiter is a wonder. Even a small instrument will show two dark horizontal bands on its shimmering disc, and those Galilean moons will look more obvious too. A large telescope magnifying at 100x will bring subtler cloud bands into view, and Jupiter\u2019s famous Great Red Spot \u2013 astorm larger than Earth \u2013 will be visible too. If you can magnify a couple of hundred times, you\u2019ll see plumes and swirls of pastel-hued clouds on its disc, and more of its moons will be visible. <\/p>\n\n

\"\"
It may lack Jupiter and Saturn\u2019s size, but Mars\u2019s salmon surface and dark markings are no less impressive through the eyepiece<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Mars <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

The anchor at the far western end of our celestial chain of worlds is Mars. Like Saturn and Jupiter to its right, to the naked eye Mars will look like a \u2018star\u2019 in Taurus. Shining at mag. \u20130.4 it will be obvious, but if you go out expecting the famously \u2018red\u2019 planet to blaze a vivid scarlet, you\u2019re going to be disappointed. Mars is actually more of a deep orange colour, like amber or one of the old Spangles boiled sweets. <\/p>\n\n

If you have a pair of binoculars, they are definitely worth training on Mars. They won\u2019t be powerful enough to show you its disc, but they will greatly enhance its colour, making the planet appear like a gemstone in the sky. <\/p>\n\n

Everyone is familiar with images of Mars taken from orbit, showing its ochre disc blotted with dark areas, but if you want to see that for yourself you\u2019ll need a large scope, like a 6-inch+ refractor, high powers and good seeing. During September, Mars\u2019s disc will only appear half as wide as Saturn and a sixth as wide as Jupiter, but you might just sneak a tantalising glimpse of its ice cap through a smaller instrument in moments when the atmosphere between you and Mars is calm and still.<\/p>\n\n

Now we\u2019ve looked at the three nakedeye worlds, let\u2019s go fainter\u2026 <\/p>\n\n

Uranus <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

During mid-September you\u2019ll find Uranus roughly halfway between Mars and Jupiter. With a magnitude of +5.9 the planet will technically be a naked-eye planet, but unless you know exactly which of the hundreds of 6th-magnitude points of light in that part of the sky it is, you\u2019ll struggle to pick it out. Binoculars will show Uranus as a star with a subtle greenish hue, and if you have a telescope it will resolve the planet\u2019s small, pale green disc, confirming its identity. Again, a good stargazing app or planetarium software will help you pinpoint the planet. <\/p>\n\n

\"\"
If you have the aperture for it, see if you can pick out some of the moons orbiting Uranus\u2019s green disc <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

Neptune <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

If you\u2019ve never managed to see Neptune with your own eyes before, this will be your big chance. During September it will be just 11\u02da away from Jupiter. However, with a magnitude of just +7.8, it is far too faint to see without assistance. Binoculars will only show it as a faint blue-green \u2018star\u2019 lost among thousands of others of equal or even greater brightness within Aquarius. If you want to be certain of seeing it, you\u2019ll need a telescope like a 6-inch or larger refractor, which will show you the faraway planet\u2019s tiny blue-green disc at high magnification. <\/p>\n\n

\"\"
Faint Neptune calls for heftier scopes, especially to find Triton, its largest moon, shown here as a dot above the planet <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

Vesta <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

With a diameter of around 525km, Vesta is one of the largest known asteroids. Discovered in March 1807 by the German astronomer Heinrich Wilhelm Matthias Olbers, it was named after Vesta, the virgin goddess of home and hearth from Roman mythology.<\/p>\n\n

Vesta is the brightest asteroid visible from Earth, regularly visible to the naked eye as a 5th-magnitude star. This month it be will a magnitude-and-a-half fainter than that, so you\u2019ll need a pair of binoculars to see it, and no matter how big a telescope you point at it, it will still just look like a point of light. Its brightness or appearance won\u2019t change much during the whole of September, so you can seek it out at any time. In fact, it might make a fun challenge to take several photos of its part of the sky, a week or so apart, and look to identify which \u2018dot\u2019 to the lower left of Saturn has moved during the month.<\/p>\n\n

\"\"
You can track the motion of 4 Vesta, brightest of the asteroids, as it passes below Saturn <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
<\/div>
\n

More to explore <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Once you\u2019ve taken in the planet parade, there\u2019s a wealth of other celestial delights to see in the night sky over the month<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you\u2019ve identified all the planets and explored them with your binoculars or telescope, take a while to look at some of the other objects on view in the September sky. Mars will lie close to two famous star clusters. To its right you\u2019ll see what looks like a \u2018V\u2019 of stars lying on its side. This is the Hyades star cluster, which represents the horns of Taurus, the Bull. The bright orange star at the end of the lower horn is the red giant Aldebaran, but it\u2019s not actually a member of the cluster, it just lies in the same direction. Above the Hyades you\u2019ll see a small knot of blue stars, around the same size as your thumbnail held out at arm\u2019s length: the famous Pleiades or Seven Sisters open star cluster. Binoculars will show there are a lot more than just seven stars in this group, which is shaped a little like a mini Big Dipper. Other objects worth tracking down after you\u2019ve toured the planets are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

M31, the Andromeda Galaxy <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over two million lightyears away, this is the most distant object the naked eye can see. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Best seen with a medium-sized telescope, the Andromeda Galaxy is easy to find and never disappoints <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Double Cluster<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These glittering star clusters sit so close together they fit in the same binocular and small telescope field of view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Stunning in binoculars or a small scope, the Double Cluster near the famous \u2018W\u2019 of Cassiopeia is well worth seeking out<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Milky Way <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The dark evenings of September are perfect for getting away from light pollution and enjoying the beautiful sight of the star-frothed Milky Way airbrushed across the sky, with the most concentrated area to be found above the southwest horizon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The star-spangled core of the Milky Way, seen here from Devon in September 2021, can be a real treat in dark skies<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n

Stuart Atkinson<\/strong> is a lifelong amateur astronomer and author of 11 books on astronomy and spaceflight<\/p>\n\n

Photos: CHART BY PETE LAWRENCE, MICHAEL KARRER\/CCDGUIDE.COM, SEBASTIAN VOLTMER\/CCDGUIDE.COM, ROLF L\u00d6HR\/ CCDGUIDE.COM, CHART BY PETE LAWRENCE, BERNHARD GOTTHARDT\/CCDGUIDE.COM, VALERIOPARDI\/ISTOCK\/GETTY IMAGES, WILL TUDOR\/ISTOCK\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Five planets and an asteroid will be putting on a show this month<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":35763,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ub_ctt_via":"","purple_page_number":"35","purple_custom_meta_purple_page_number":"35","purple_seq_number":"1","purple_custom_meta_purple_seq_number":"1","purple_source_article":"article_35-1.xml","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_article":"article_35-1.xml","purple_source_issue":"September-2022","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_issue":"September-2022","purple_external_id":"September-2022-35-1","purple_custom_meta_purple_external_id":"September-2022-35-1","purple_issue_code":"|0000086556||","purple_custom_meta_purple_issue_code":"|0000086556||","purple_android_product":"com.im.skyatnight.208","purple_custom_meta_purple_android_product":"com.im.skyatnight.208","purple_ios_product":"com.im.skyatnight.208","purple_custom_meta_purple_ios_product":"com.im.skyatnight.208","purple_web_product":"","purple_custom_meta_purple_web_product":"","purple_publication_id":"075fab74-0a21-4201-866a-899d6c41c40c","purple_migrated":"","kt_blocks_editor_width":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[14],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/08\/SKY_208_p035-039_planetaryparadeV1-2-scaled.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"12","apple_news_title":""},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/08\/SKY_208_p035-039_planetaryparadeV1-2-scaled.jpg",1847,2560,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/08\/SKY_208_p035-039_planetaryparadeV1-2-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/08\/SKY_208_p035-039_planetaryparadeV1-2-216x300.jpg",216,300,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/08\/SKY_208_p035-039_planetaryparadeV1-2-768x1065.jpg",768,1065,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/08\/SKY_208_p035-039_planetaryparadeV1-2-739x1024.jpg",739,1024,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/08\/SKY_208_p035-039_planetaryparadeV1-2-1108x1536.jpg",1108,1536,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/08\/SKY_208_p035-039_planetaryparadeV1-2-1477x2048.jpg",1477,2048,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Five planets and an asteroid will be putting on a show this month","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35242"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35242"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35242\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35938,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35242\/revisions\/35938"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35763"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35242"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35242"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35242"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}